Angel of Mine
by camteaa
Summary: FINISHED! The apprentice and the master. Hinata and Itachi. Days...months...years...roll by, and they emerge from the shadows. Oh how she is changed. Indestructive. Irreversible. Forever.
1. Connection

Title: Angel of Mine

Summary: Several years after Itachi left Konoha, Hinata mysteriously brings him back. Then then leave together and go through a few twisted times. Together.

Author: SweetStealer

---

SweetStealer: Made from the one-shot 'White and Silver'. This is...soooo much cooler. Though I don't know who to pair with the cutie...hmm...possibly ItachiHinata all throughout but idk...the cutie needs a man!

Hinata: Eh, heh...ummm...who's that?

Sweets: You, of course!

Gaara: Shut up. :glares:

Lee: Don't have such a stick up your ass.

Everyone: OO;

Sweets: Right...ok then...I DON'T OWN NARUTO.

---

Chapter 1

Night. A killer sat crouched under the moon from a roof top, his blood red eyes scanning his dark, bloodstained surroundings.

Shadows flickered and roamed, making Itachi Uchiha slightly uneasy. Wait. He was Itachi Uchiha. He wasn't paranoid or uneasy. He wasn't one to _doubt_ himself.

He was a killer. A death dealer. A ruthless slayer. A murderer. A cold, heartless bastard...Cunning...uncaring...evil?

Itachi leaped from the roof and began to catch up with Kisame who had finished off their new targets with ease. Sometimes, being an assassin was so...easy. Itachi had escaped to scout the area and to think hard. In peace. The last thing he needed was Kisame questioning him again.

People had called Itachi many things, and the some of the most common names were, 'homicidal maniac', 'cutthroat', 'psycho'... and of course, his favorite, 'DEMON'.

When he had killed his last target, he remembered what he had said.

_'You must have been sent from hell, you **evil **demon.'_

"Evil demon, huh?" Itachi muttered as he watched the sky cloud over and the world succumb to darkness.

'Am I really evil?' he thought.

A small, innocent voice floated in from the very, very dark back of his mind. A sweet, voice...a tender voice, so very far away...

_"P-People always a-acknowledge you for what you can do, not who you are. I've never heard them say, Uchiha Itachi likes the color silver." _

Itachi suddenly slipped and managed to grab onto a branch and swing back onto the limb from which he 'fell'. He clenched his teeth. He **never** slipped. Steadying himself, he looked up at the navy sky.

'Why the hell is she coming into my mind now?' he thought, furiously.

Hinata Hyuuga. The last time he had really thought about her was right after he massacred his clan. After forcing himself to forget her, Konoha, and his family, he had vanished.

But now...Hinata slowly slipped into his mind like a poison, working into his head and messing with his senses. Chaos and trouble began to work into Itachi. This had never happened before. He could feel his chakra stirring uneasily and recklessly...like...something had made it sting.

'What the hell is this?' he thought, his hands forming fists.

His nails dug into his flesh with such force that little streams of blood began to trickle out and down his fingers. The night air blew coldly around him. The black and red Akatsuki cloak he wore suddenly felt heavy and burdening.

Itachi quickly shed it, his bloody handprints stained it crimson. He regained his calm demeanor and memories began to creep into his brooding mind.

_"You're Uchiha Itachi, the famed Uchiha prodigy." _

_"You're wearing many silver articles. The chain, symbolizing you're feeling weighed down. You have on a silver ring with the inscription 'bane' which means you're expecting death. Also, you're carrying a silver dagger attached to your left wrist. You're a cautious person, but not...afraid."_

_"Remember me, Itachi-san." _

Grabbing his cloak tightly, he put it back on, feeling chilled and disturbed. Itachi slipped back into shadows and the dark and continued to go after Kisame.

"Hyuuga." he muttered and took off.

He guessed Hinata needed him. After all, that may have been the reason why she popped into his head so often. And he had promised, after all...

_"If you ever need me, come find me without hesitation. I'll always come when you call, angel..."_

---

She was bruised. She was bloody. She was tired. She was weakening. She knew her time was up. It was over.

Hinata struggled to get up, disgusted with her own weakness. She knew her body really couldn't take much more strain, but her father was in a bad mood. He was going to push her to her limits today. There would be no escaping the pain of private training.

To add insult to injury, Neji and Hanabi were there, critically watching her every move, shouting out pointless and obvious advice. This was getting unbearable and humiliating. Hinata wanted out. **Now**.

She wiped sweat from her brow. Her heart was racing and she felt very heavy and dizzy. Her father had somehow broke into two people. Why was she seeing double? She lazily closed her eyes and began to drift...

'NO. Keep it together, Hinata.' she pleaded with herself.

Hinata shook her head and the world turned rightside up. She opened her eyes only to find her father charging at her, full speed and full force. Hinata braced herself and felt herself fly backwards into the side of the house when her father made contact.

Windows shattered, wood was broken and pieces of it pierced her body as she slid down the side. She shut her eyes in pain and bit her lip until the crimson blood flowed out.

Training was obviously getting more violent.

'I'm not keeping up!' she thought desperately. 'But I can't give up...'

She bravely raised herself up onto her two feet again and clutched her right arm. The pieces of wood were visible. Her shoulder was killing her. Her head was pounding. She was hyperventilating. The world was spinning. Her life flashed.

Father. Hanabi. Neji. Her mother. _Itachi_. The funeral. _Itachi_. Naruto. _Itachi_. Kiba. _Itachi._ Shino. _Itachi_. _Itachi. Itachi_. **_Itachi_**...

She gave a cry as a sharp painful punch crashed full force into her head, sending her back to the pile of matchstick wood and splinters. She fell. That wood was really starting to kill her. She hurt so much...the pain was getting unbearable.

'Itachi...' she thought.

_"If you ever need me, come find me without hesitation. I'll always come when you call, angel..."_

'Itachi!' she screamed.

No one could hear her thought because Hinata promptly blacked out, with the sound of her father's raging shouts, filling her ears and his punches and blows hit her tired, broken body.

On the outer border of the Fire Country, a sharp pain hit Itachi in the chest, making him wince sharply, like he had taken a direct hit from a kunai. He turned to a puzzled Kisame.

"We're taking a side trip." he said sharply.

"To where?" Kisame asked, adjusting the Samehada to a more comfortable position. He stared at Itachi. Usually, the Uchiha never deviated from a plan and the plan at the moment was to go back to base and report.

"Konoha."

Kisame came to a full fledged stop and Itachi looked at him coldly. His eyes, burning red, were icy and cold.

"Have you lost it completely?" Kisame hissed, staring at his companion with confusion.

"Maybe." Itachi muttered, glaring at the stars. He winced as another invisible blow hit him.

'What did I do?' he wondered, as he clutched his chest. He hadn't felt pain in a long time.

"What the hell is she doing?" he hissed, staggering up. He hadn't felt this much pain in ages.

"What the hell is **who** doing?" Kisame asked, glaring at Itachi. The Uchiha was slowing them down, making them stop.

"What the fuck is going on, Uchiha?" Kisame shouted as Itachi slid down the side of a tree to rest.

Itachi was silent. He was grateful that it was a cold night and the breeze was icy. He was burning up, like he had a fever or something...

He forced himself up and thought back to the day he had made his promise to Hinata. Did he do anything? Did an invisible bond form or something?

_Hinata's eyes weren't on him but on Itachi who was walking away. She quickly ignored Neji and Sasuke and ran after Itachi._

_"Wait..." she cried softly._

_He turned._

_"W-when will I see you again?" she asked._

_"I'll be around."_

_He bent down toward her ear and whispered,_

_"If you ever need me, come find me without hesitation. I'll always come when you call, angel..."_

_Hinata looked at the ground shyly and Itachi quickly kissed her on the forehead while no one was looking and vanished into thin air, leaving an astonished Hinata in his wake. The kiss lingered and tingled...a sweet innocent kiss, for a sweet innocent kid._

"That's right..." Itachi murmured as he and Kisame took off into the shadows again.

Kisame looked at his partner, anger growing impatiently. This wasn't good. If something had disturbed Itachi so much and deviate from a perfectly good plan, then something was wrong. Very wrong.

'I had forgotten. I marked her when I kissed her.' Itachi thought, infuriated at his stupidness.

When Itachi kissed her forehead, he had put a little bit of _his_ chakra into her so that he would know when she really needed help. Of course, he had forgotten and she didn't know the truth.

'But why haven't I felt it before?' he thought, picking up his speed to catch up with the shark man. 'Surely she would have been in dangerous situations before...'

This was an answer he didn't know.

'I'll just have to find out, won't I?' Itachi smirked.

"HURRY UP." Kisame shouted impatiently, using his blade to shave a few branches off a tree.

Itachi, smirking, went into the darkness, a flicker of his red stained cloak disappearing behind him.

'Wait for me, Hinata Hyuuga.'

**---**

Sweets: REVIEW!


	2. Did you miss me, angel?

Sweets: Well...I hope people like this...

Hinata: I'm sure they will...

Itachi: It does star me, after all.

Sweets: I don't own Naruto...

---

**Chapter 2**

It was 3:00 in the morning when Hinata shot up from her bed, breathing hard. Her back was damp with the cold sweat that ran down in. Her face was pale and frightened and her hands trembled.

Her white eyes were wide in surprise. She was so sure it was him...She was certain he was there, watching her from the shadows...

Hinata, out of reflex, activated her Byakugan. She scanned the room, trying to find signs of life. Nothing. The room was dark and empty, with only a few things in it. A dresser, a chair, her closet and the bed. Nothing special. Nothing...strange...

Flickers in the dark made her shiver and looked around wildly. Fear slithered around her, drowning her in self doubt and worry. The shadows mocked her fear and weakness, laughing and hissing silently, like little devils in the dark.

Hinata flew off of her bed and put her back against the cold wall. She could faintly her Neji's soft breathing on the other side. He, of course, wasn't being tormented by invisible terrors.

'Calm down. It's all in your head.' Hinata thought, looking again.

Well, at least nothing leaped out at her. She sighed with relief and walked over to her dresser. Sitting down in the chair, she opened a drawer with a little box inside of it.

'I was so sure he was here.' Hinata thought, looking at the closed lid of the box.

She gingerly opened it, her hands shaking. Inside of it lay a plain silver ring with the inscription 'bane' on it.

'Itachi-san's ring...' Hinata thought, her gaze softening.

She had found it on her pillow right before Itachi disappeared. No note, no nothing. Just the ring in the box.

Being five, she had been fascinated with it. She was about to go show someone when she heard that the Uchiha Clan had been massacred. Itachi was gone and Sasuke was the only survivor.

Hinata's heart had hurt. She had cried for all the dead souls. She cried for Sasuke. She cried for Itachi.

Everyone was certain Itachi had been the assassin. There was no doubt about it. When Hinata heard Itachi had been labeled a rouge and S-Class criminal, she felt her heart crack, but not break.

She didn't blame the man for what he did. She held no grudge against him, yet, fear and terror had developed in her heart. She slowly began to realize what he had done and the seriousness of the situation he was in.

'Itachi-san...' she thought, clutching the ring to her chest.

She set it back down and placed the box back in the dark compartment. She then sighed and hesitantly looked at herself in the mirror.

A weary, frightened girl looked back. She was bruised and broken. Her pale skin was cut and red. A large, smooth bandage was covering the left side of her face. Her back was a wreck. The wood had cut deep. It still stung when she moved.

She was a total walking disaster.

Laying her head down on the desk, she began to cry softly. Sadness and agony filled her eyes and tears rolled down her face.

"Itachi-san..." she moaned, half expecting him to answer back.

No one did. Only...darkness.

After wasting her tears, she dragged herself back to her bed and sat down indian style and looked at her lap. Her mind began to wander. She was drifting off, whispers of sleep began to talk...

Cold hands worked their way upon her neck and face. She felt someone whisper in her listening ears,

"Miss me, angel?"

---

Sweets: Short, I know...but it's for dramatic effect.

Itachi: Dramatic effect my ass.

Sweets: Jerk...REVIEW!


	3. Taking flight

Sweets: Well...Itachi finally reveals himself...

Itachi: What do I have to hide?

Sweets: Nothing. I don't own Naruto

---

**ch3**

Hinata didn't scream. She didn't cry. She didn't wish him away. She knew who this was. She knew he wouldn't hurt her. Her eyes closed.

"You're back..." she whispered to the dark.

"Yes, I felt I was needed here." the dark murmured back. The cold hands caressed her skin...Oh, what a gentle touch...that familiar gentle touch...

Hinata remembered she had silently screamed his name during practice. But now she wondered, what could he do? Was he just here to finish her?

'No.' she thought.

The man behind her gracefully flipped off her bed and stood in front of her, towering over her. Hinata rose.

He stood nearly two feet above her, his famous Akatsuki cloak wrapped around him. He was dark, menacing...frightening...

Hinata stepped foreword. She looked up at his face and his bloody red eyes. She shivered as a cold stare met her curious one.

"You needed me?" he said, in what he thought was a cold voice.

She looked down, ashamed. Here she was, standing in front of one of the most dangerous, strongest, smartest man on earth, almost _admitting_ she was weak.

"Yes, I guess so."

Hinata never stuttered when she was near him. Fear, or maybe courage, stopped her from doing that. All self doubt was slowly washing away.

"Well?" Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Something went off in Hinata's head.

'This my chance to escape! I can get out of here...' she thought, hope rising in her heart.

"Take me away from here." she said, looking at the ground.

The man, not really believing what he heard, put a finger under her chin, raised it, forcing her to look at him.

"Look at me. Now tell me what you want." he hissed, annoyed by her shyness.

She looked him in the eye. Determination (or stupidness) filled her eyes and she said,

"Take me away from here. I don't want to stay."

The Akatsuki member took away his finger.

"Why?" he questioned harshly.

Hinata, ignoring his coldness, bravely answered him.

"I hate it here. Everyday, I go through the torture of my family. My friends call me a weakling, my family calls me a failure, my crush won't acknowledge me, I-" she broke off when she heard his cold, bitter laugh.

"You want to leave because your _love_ won't look at you?" he taunted.

Hinata glared for the first time in her life.

"You really don't understand." she said.

He looked at her. Bitterness had filled him before. He was disgusted that he was forced to make such a silly side trip but he looked her over, hate fading. She was in bad condition. He would have to fix that.

"Lie down." he ordered abruptly.

She looked at him, bewildered.

"Wha-" she began.

"Do it." he sighed.

Cutting through the back of her nightgown, he began to heal her wounds. He wasn't much of a medic, but he knew more then the idiots who claimed to be ones in the Hyuuga household.

'They didn't even clean them. Are they trying to kill her off?' he thought, slightly angry.

Silently doing a few handseals, he managed to bring water from his fingertips and began to apply it to Hinata's cuts.

The girl struggled under the sudden use of water, but began to relax and remain still. She felt the water change to chakra and seal off the bitter injuries.

There was silence between the two.

"Why?" she asked finally.

As the man, half shrouded in shadows, dressed her wounds, he looked at her. She was staring out the window and watching the silver grey clouds drift by.

"Why what?" he asked as he finished.

She sat up. Her torn night gown hung loosely around her shoulders and slipped down occasionally, but it didn't show much. Not that he cared, though. The man had bigger things to think about. But...she was showing skin...The man licked his lips, wondering what it would be like to...taste...

"Why did you heal me?" her voice was soft, but curious.

The Akatsuki leader stopped his mild fantasies and looked at her smugly. He had made his decision.

"I can't have you traveling with us all wounded. You'd just slow us down."

Hinata's mouth dropped but she remembered to close it. Her eyes were wide with excitement and she lunged onto her old 'friend' and hugged him.

"Get off..." he muttered, though not really attempting to push her off.

'So soft...'

How he remember her embrace from ages ago...her lovely embrace, filled with compassion and understanding...

When she did let go, he looked her over again. Color was beginning to come back to her face and she looked..._happy_.

He ruffled her hair, just like when they were younger and jumped onto the window ledge.

"Be ready in two days time. Meet me on the roof."

Hinata blinked. He was about to leave when he turned to her.

"Be safe, angel."

He was gone.

Hinata crawled back to bed, feeling refreshed and blissful.

'The night is...interesting.' she thought, before drifting off into the ebony dreams that awaited her.

**2 days later...**

Hinata stared up at the deepening sky, her mouth slightly open in wonderment. She scanned the starry heavens with her pearly eyes and a small smile graced her lips.

'Beautiful.' she thought, simply.

The sky was painted a dark navy, gradually getting lighter the farther you got from the Village. The stars glittered and sparkled in the dome of blue, winking at the Hyuuga girl. She felt so small and helpless when she looked at the vast sky.

'It's so large. It seems to go on for forever...'

The milky white moon shone brightly, contrasting between the dark sky and the paleness of its light. It was full at almost all of Kohona seemed to be bathed in its bright, frosted light. The village looked...

'Enchanted. Almost...serene.' she thought, staring up at the great, curious sky. She was finally healed and could walk again, thanks to a special someone...

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard someone whisper in her ear,

"Time to go, angel."

She felt her enchantment shatter as she slowly turned around. She sighed and whispered,

"Oh. I-It's you."

"Yes, it's me. Are you done looking at the sky? We have to go."

She didn't need to activate her Byakugan to know who the man behind her was. She shivered and tore her eyes away from his blood red ones and took one last look at the heavens.

Hinata looked down, picked up her pack and faced the man again. He smirked and laughed bitterly, saying,

"So you really want to do this. I don't even know why I decided to let you join in."

Hinata just nodded. The man looked her over, smirked again and bent down so he was at eye level with her.

"You're either very determined or very foolish."

"Maybe I-I'm a bit of both."

The man drew himself up to full height. He was still frightening and threatening, his black and red cloak swaying in the gentle wind. After a period of silence, he finally said,

"Let's get going. You have everything, right?"

"Yes..."

"Say goodbye to Konoha, angel. You won't see it for a while."

Hinata realized she was beyond the point of no return. There would be no backing out now.

'But this is what you wanted, right? You want out, and this is the only way...' she thought, determined.

She watched as the man vanished into the shadows. Hinata nearly tripped coming down from her own roof. She landed silently and to her confusion, she couldn't find the man anywhere. She looked around, bewildered and then a voice sighed,

"Over here. Hurry up, angel, we don't have all day."

"Y-Yes Itachi-sensei."

The two vanished into the darkness and neither were not heard of for quite some time.

---

Sweets: REVIEW PLEASE!


	4. Humble Prayers

Sweets: ...sooo tired...

Shikamaru: get some rest then.

Sweets: HELL NO! I'm totally devoted to my fics!

Gai: ahh...the power of youth.

Sweets: If I owned NAruto, I would put Gai and Lee in normal clothes...obviously...i don't own them

---

**Chapter 4**

Tsunade was not very happy. Her well-earned sleep had been disturbed, right when she had drifted off. Along with that, it was an ungodly hour and already, half of the town was awake. Lights had flickered on and there was hushed talking among the villagers.

Shizune burst into Tsunade's office. The 5th lifted her head wearily and to her surprise, a few white-eyed citizens crowded into her office. She spotted Hiashi in the front with Neji and Hanabi.

'Hyuuga...dammit. Where's Hinata?' she wondered.

"Alright, explain your business. I want to sleep." Tsunade said, annoyance tinting her voice.

For a moment, no one said a word. Hiashi threw a piece of paper in front of her, his hands trembling. He was leaning heavily on his stick and he looked so weak and helpless. Hanabi was clutching her father's robes and tears leaked out of her eyes. Neji's arms laid by his side, his hands clenched into fists.

Tsunade eyed the paper and gingerly picked it up. She began to read, her eyes growing wider with every word.

_My dearest father, _

_ It is with a heavy heart I must write this letter to you. For years on end you have been telling me I am weak; unworthy to carry the name Hyuuga. You constantly remind me that I cannot even measure up to Hanabi who has already passed me. You expect me to be like my cousin, Neji, who is without a doubt, a genius within our illustrious clan. And here I am, Hinata, the heir to the family name, a weakling. A nobody. I fear I have ruined the name 'Hyuuga' forever. _

_So, I have decided there is only one thing to do. _

_I have gone off to train and become stronger. Maybe then you will see that even I, the weakling, am not worthless. Even I, Hinata, the unworthy heir, can be someone. Maybe you will see, and one day regret not knowing, that I was commendable all along._

_I leave you now, with these final words. I will return. I will return, changed and powerful. I will have become strong and smart. When I have finished training, I will be able to beat and or tie, any of my fellow classmates and friends. This is a promise I will sign in blood._

_Don't worry. I'm not alone. I'm with intelligent people. You have no need to come after me and chase me down. If you attempt to find me, you will fail. This I know. Why? _

_The Akatsuki said so._

_Hinata._

There was a stunned silence. Tsunade observed that Hinata's name was signed in blood and that the letter sounded so unlike the quiet girl every one of them knew. This letter voiced the opinion of a strong female, bitter and determined. Was this the real Hinata?

Hiashi suddenly banged his hands on Tsunade's desk in anger. Hanabi unclenched her tiny fists from her father's robe and stumbled backwards.

Neji looked at the floor. He would never admit it, but tears began to shine in his eyes and drip down his pale face. He was indeed crying. The great Neji Hyuuga was crying over his cousin...the same cousin he had tried to kill only a year ago...

"We need to find her." Hiashi ordered. "Send out a search party."

Tsunade began to pace around. A headache was beginning to form and the mention of the Akatsuki didn't help. She turned back to the letter.

"She says not to follow her." Shizune stated the obvious, reading over Tsunade's shoulder, her brow furrowed.

"TO HELL WITH WHAT SHE SAYS!"

Hiashi smashed his fists back onto the desk. Tsunade couldn't understand his worry and concern. One minuet he was hitting her into **unconsciousness** and the next he was attempting to find her when she ran away. From _him_.

"But she is right." Tsunade murmured.

Everyone looked up. Tsunade continued.

"It can be concluded from that Hinata is indeed with the Akatsuki. If that is so, then she is not only under protection, but under a very good cover."

"How can you be so sure she's being protected!" Neji shouted, abruptly.

Tsunade gave a false smile towards the young Hyuuga boy. He looked so lost and confused...so worried and angry.

"If the Akatsuki have accepted her into their organization, she will be protected very well. It is a tight knit group, like a family, but more dangerous then you could ever imagine. I expect she is under Itachi himself. He will look after his new charge like a hawk. But that's just me." Tsunade continued, sitting down at her desk.

Silence was broken by an incoming shriek.

"Is it true!"

Some of the Hyuuga members had left out of sheer weariness and in their place was all of the original teams and their sensei.

Kurenai was looking devastated. Her hands were clenched and her eyes shown with unshed tears. Kiba and Akamaru looked broken and lost. Akamaru was curled up and whining in Kiba's hood. Shino was stiff and rigid. Hinata's old team was just itching to find her.

Asuma and his team were assembled...sorta. Choji was dozing on the spot, and for once he didn't have a bag of chips with him. Ino was attempting to stay awake but kept drifting off onto Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru, to the great surprise of many, was the one who was fully alert.

Kakashi entered with Sakura. She looked worried and upset. Next to her was TenTen and Lee. Gai was with them, his hands covering his eyes. TenTen was holding hands with Sakura. She was pale and shaking. They seemed like sisters...Lee was unusually quiet, fingering his bandages.

"HIANTA!"

Naruto barged in through the doors with Sasuke right behind him. Both were pale but had hate in their eyes. They skidded to an impressive halt in front of Tsunade.

"Where is she!" Naruto demanded, nearly knocking over Hiashi.

"Where is my brother!" Sasuke hissed, standing next to Naruto.

"Ahem." Tsunade signaled to their sensei.

Kakashi pulled both boys back and restrained them. Gai, Asuma and Kurenai stepped foreword next to Hiashi.

"Is it true? Did Hinata really-" Gai began.

"Yes. It's true." Tsunade muttered, looking at the letter again.

"But-but...the letter could have been forged! Itachi could have copied her handwriting and forged it! Hinata could have been kidnap-" Kurenai began helplessly.

"No. This letter is real." Tsunade murmured. "Only Hinata could write like this. I can tell she is determined to gain power."

Sasuke clenched his fists.

"Power... Is that what she wants! Where's Itachi! He tricked her!" he shouted.

"He's long gone, kid." Asuma said, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

There was a silence. Hiashi motioned to one of the maids who stepped foreword wearily.

"Take Hanabi home." he ordered.

The maid took Hanabi's shaky hand and the two went out together. The information was beginning to sink in finally.

Hinata had gone rogue and went off with the Akatsuki. She wanted power and skill. She would return one day...but that could be any time...

"But why-why would she do such a thing?" TenTen asked, squeezing Sakura's hand.

Ino sleepily moved next to them and laid her head on the wall, her eyes half lidded and looking at the ceiling. The girls were especially disturbed. They had all bee like sisters...tight friends. Guilt rose in them...Maybe they should have looked harder, listened to the quiet Hyuuga more often.

A few glanced at Hiashi as the question was posed. Kiba could take it no more. His eyes burned bright and he shouted,

"It was **you**! You drove her to do **_this_**! You and your idea of **_worthlessness_**! You've just about killed her now! **I'll kill you!** **I'LL KILL Y**-"

Just as Kiba lunged at Hiashi, Kakashi went behind the Inuzuka and hit him sharply on the back of the head. Kiba fell down unconscious. Kakashi handed him to Shino who supported him wearily.

"I think the kids should leave." Asuma began, taking another drag.

"NO!"

The band of teenagers turned to their sensei with pleading looks in their eyes. Shikamaru was the first to speak.

"Are you sure she's untraceable?"

"Unfortunately..."

"Can't we at least _try_ to look for her?" Sakura began but was cut off by Gai.

"No. The youth should not have to look for her. Hinata is a rogue and is now labeled a missing nin." he said, firmly.

"No!"

Several of them turned furiously at this answer, including Hiashi.

"There is nothing we can-" Lee began but stopped when he saw Gai shaking his head. Kakashi sighed.

"Well, you should all head back to your homes now. It's late. We can't really worry about Hinata now. She's 14 and I think she can take care of herself." he said.

The others groaned and filed out one by one. Neji and Hiashi were the last to leave.

"I've got to try to find her!" Neji muttered.

"No." Hiashi commanded, sharply. "No." he said again, wearily, shaking his head.

Neji hung his head and slowly walked out.

There he met up with Shikamaru, TenTen, Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Shino who was still supporting Kiba. They all seemed to be waiting for him. They were leaning on the railings, not talking or discussing that nights disturbing and shaking events.

"Neji." TenTen said quietly.

He looked up. Naruto and Sasuke were very quiet. Sasuke's eyes burned with hatred and Naruto's, with worry. Shino was fidgeting and delving his hands into his jacket pockets while keeping Kiba up. Shikamaru was looking at the ground and seemed to find the concrete most interesting. The girls seemed close to tears. Lee, however, was looking at the sky.

"It's very clear out." Lee murmured.

The group looked up.

"Look at that moon." Shikamaru whistled.

No matter how hard they tried to put the events and the letter into the back of their minds, one prayer was running through all of their heads.

_Be safe, Hinata._

---

Sweets: So she took off...she's gone...REVIEW PLEASE!


	5. Kissing Defeat

SweetStealer: I'M BACK!

Naruto: About time!

Sweets: Yes. I'm sorry.

Hinata: I love my role in this!

Itachi: I love you!! girly squee

Deidara: EH?!

Sasori: No way blind man. She's MINE.

Kisame: Sweets doesn't own Naruto. Pshh.

**---**

Chapter 5

**1 year later...**

"NARUTO-DOBE!!!!!!!"

"SASUKE-TEME!!!!!!!"

With a cry, the two powerful shinobi charged at each other. The Rasengan and the Chidori were activated and the result was breathtaking.

Sakura watched in awe as the two met and flew backwards from the force of their attacks. She knew none of them were hurt, of course.

The gang had all advanced to Chunnin, well, except...Sakura's heart sank. On to **_that_** subject...

'Hinata...'

She remembered the devastated looks on everyone's faces. She sighed and held her head in her hands.

'You're thinking too hard.' she thought, shaking herself.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

She turned around and found Lee, TenTen and Neji walking towards the old training field. She grinned and waved to them. Lee ran up, hugged her quickly and looked at the battle going on between Sasuke and Naruto.

"Wow, they're really giving it their all..." TenTen said, applauding.

Sakura glanced at Neji. He had acquired a far away look ever since Hinata had left. He was watching the battle, but she could tell he wasn't thinking about it. Hinata's disappearance had hit him hard.

'He's still hurting.' she thought.

"Umm...yeah..." Neji said, not really paying attention.

"HEY!"

Kiba, Akamaru and Shino jogged up and skidded to a halt just when Naruto went flying toward Neji. Neji, who was still deep in thought, cleanly dodged it and let Naruto sail past. (He eventually hit a tree).

Sasuke walked up and nodded to the others. Sakura smiled at him and handed him a bottle of water.

"SASUKE! I WANT TO FIGHT YOU!" Lee challenged, pointing a finger towards the Uchiha boy.

"Now?" Sasuke muttered, but set down the water. Sakura shook her head and said,

"You guys need to stop pushing yourselves."

TenTen nodded in agreement. The girls glanced at Kiba who had acquired a fake smile and had plastered it onto his face. Akamaru let all his feelings show. He whined and Sakura picked him up. Shino was as quiet as ever, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Well, well. What have we here?"

A cold, mocking voice filled their ears. Sakura's blood froze...But then-

"GAARA! HEY, BUDDY! LONG TIME NO SEE!"

Naruto glomped the unsuspecting sand nin whose defensive armor kicked in and sent Naruto flying backwards. Yet again.

This was an unexpected surprise. A...nice one but a surprise none the less...

Yes, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari stood before them, in all of their mocking, smirking glory. Still, they looked as impressive as ever.

"What the hell are you doing here?" TenTen voiced, raising an eyebrow at the Sand Siblings.

"Hey. What are you all doing on our old training field?" a new, lazier voice filled their ears.

Shikamaru and Ino walked up. Choji was not with them. Temari's eyes lit up slightly and to her surprise, Ino just waved at her, smiling.

'No crush on Shikamaru? What's up with that?!' Temari wondered along with Sakura and TenTen.

"What's up?" Ino asked. She _was_ being unusually polite...

"Where's Choji?" TenTen asked, curiously.

"Oh. He's in the hospital." Shikamaru said, waving a hand absentmindedly.

"EH? What happened?!"

"During training he fainted. _Malnutrition_. It might have been my fault...We were attempting to get him on a diet, but..." Ino said, slumping down.

"Oh." Sakura said, glancing back to the Sand visitors.

"As if anyone **_dies_** from lack of food." Ino said grumpily.

Everyone chose to ignore that comment.

"So what brings you to Konoha?" Lee asked as he postponed his battle with an irritated Sasuke and shifted his attention to Gaara.

The Sand Siblings glanced at one another. Everyone saw their hesitation and finally, Kiba said,

"Well? Spit it out already."

"We have some news..." Kankuro began, glancing at Gaara.

"News?" they all questioned.

"Two years ago, the Akatsuki came to your village and one of your own went with them, right?" Temari asked, fingering her shirt hem.

Neji looked up.

"You have news of Hinata?" he asked, mystified.

They nodded. Gaara held up a video tape. They all stared.

"They came into Suna three days ago. They caused quite a lot of chaos...all on video too. We thought you should see this." he said.

"Does Tsunade-sama know?" Sakura asked.

"No. Not yet. We thought you should see it first." Kankuro said.

"You can come to my place. Hiashi is out on a meeting trip and Hanabi went with him." Neji said quietly.

Gaara nodded to him and they all got up and raced off to the Hyuuga complex. Not many people had actually been inside it but, now...

"WOAH! THIS PLACE IS HUGE!!" Naruto shouted, looking up.

"Naruto, if you can't shut up, I'll ask you to leave." Neji muttered, hoping no one from the Main House was home.

They entered Neji's room and sat down in various places.

"Are any of you easily disturbed?" Temari asked.

They shook their heads.

"Get freaked out easily?" Kankuro added.

"Noo...?" TenTen said. "Why?"

"Well there is a disturbing part between Gaara and Hi-" Kankuro added but was cut off when Gaara sent his sand to shut him up.

"Get a life." he hissed and pushed in the video.

Everyone was basically holding their breaths, waiting to see Hinata after such a long time.

Neji was sitting calmly, but everyone knew he was restless and excited. Kiba was next to him, Akamaru fidgeting. Kiba himself was restless also. Shino was more relaxed, but no one knew what was going through his head.

Sasuke and Naruto were bickering again, over something stupid like ramen and fans...TenTen and Sakura were sitting with baited breaths, Ino next to them, talking because of nervousness. Shikamaru and Temari were sitting together, not daring to look at each other. Kankuro was alone in one corner, shaking his head. Lee was talking to Gaara who was waiting for the video to start.

There was a hushed silence as the video flickered on.

_"KISAME-KUN!" a high pitched voice cried. "GIVE-IT-BACK!" _

_A man with blue skin was holding a shopping bag high above a young girl's head. She was around fifteen, a petite with dark purple hair. There was no view of her eyes. She was with two other boys who looked older then her. _

_They seemed normal, laughing, arguing and kidding around...Perfectly normal. A blonde haired boy swooped up the girl bridal styled and swung her around._(People in the audience were beginning to wonder if this was the wrong video. None could image the Akatsuki members ever having a **parental streak.**)

_Suddenly, Temari and Kankuro appeared in front of them, halting their fun. Temari leaped down from her fan and Kankuro jumped down from a rooftop. The blonde haired boy set the girl down gently and stepped foreword. _

_"What do you want?" he asked sharply._

_"The Kazekage wishes to see you." Kankuro said with equal coldness._

_"Does the Kazekage even know who we are?" Kisame asked, clearly pissed off._

_"No, but you've disrupted the town. And by this we mean you've exploded one of the natural landmarks of Suna. You're to come with us. Now." Temari growled._

_At this, the blonde haired boy smirked._

_"That was me." he taunted._

_"That was the tomb of the second Kazekage!" Kankuro said through gritted teeth._

_"Who does the Kazekage think he is, to order us around?" the brown haired boy smirked, roughly._

_"The Kazekage is Sabaku no Gaara." the siblings hissed, angrily._

_"Well, tell him we're not interested." they said, coldly._

_"You're coming with us, dead or alive." Kankuro muttered, taking out his puppet._

_"Bring it on then." the blonde boy challenged._

_"We'll handle this. Go alert Itachi." Kisame said to the other two._

_"As you wish." they smirked._

_"You're the Akatsuki!" Temari gasped, bringing her fan into view again, watching the other two vanish._

_Kisame just grinned. The young girl looked at them nervously, sighed, and set down the shopping bags. _

_"Here we go again." she murmured. _

_Kankuro and Temari were starting to get irritated..._

_"I thought you were gonna bring us in. Dead...or alive and screaming." Kisame grinned, unsheathing the Samehada._

_Temari and Kankuro grinned. All of a sudden, Temari realized something and her eyes widened._

_"Wait-you're the girl that Konoha is looking for!"_

_"Hyuuga? Hinata Hyuuga?" Kankuro questioned. He remembered her battle during the Chuunin Exams and realized she didn't really pose much of a threat. Temari, however, kept her guard up._

_Kisame and Hinata just glanced at each other and Hinata said softly,_

_"You have underestimated me, once again."_

_"Enough with the chit-chat, let's just bring them in already!"_

_Kankuro charged at them, his puppet behind him. Hinata performed a series of handseals and muttered,_

_"Byakugan." _

**Hinata...**

_"Go! I'll take puppet boy here-" Kisame began but Hinata charged head first into the fray._

_Kisame growled at the deliberate disregard for his order. He just stepped back to watch. He knew Hinata would be fine. She had trained with the best, after all. Sasori had taught her everything he knew about puppets and their tricks. Hinata could easily beat Kankuro._

_Her katana flashed and she jumped over the puppet who was pretending to be Kankuro and cleanly and stuck her sword into what a few people thought was the puppet. Kankuro winced in pain as the sword went through his body. Hinata looked hesitant though, and withdrew her katana, blood staining the blade.._

_"Kankuro!" Temari yelled, to make sure he was breathing._

_"Yup, she's a Hyuuga." Kankuro muttered as the casing around him fell away. He began to regret his underestimation._

_Hinata vanished abruptly. Temari looked wildly around._

_"Over here!" Hinata hissed from behind. Temari turned._

_"No! Over here!"_

_"I'm to the left."_

_"Behind you."_

_"In front of you."_

_"Can't catch me." _

_Hinata was fast. She was very, very fast. Temari lunged wildly at where she thought Hinata was only to find air. _

**How fast have you gotten, Hinata?**

_"DAMMIT!" Temari screamed and took out her fan."SLICING WINDS!"_

_Yes, the winds did catch Hinata, but a ring of fire surrounded her and the winds suddenly didn't seem to effect her as much. _

_She began to perform handseals and advance on the wind girl. Temari stepped backward as the fire began to rise and continue in her direction._

_"What the hell...?" she muttered._

_"SHARINGAN!" Hinata cried, her white eyes turning red. _

**WHAT?!**

_Hinata, copying Temari's attack, gave a cry and made a sweeping motion with her hands._

_"WIND!" she shouted._

_The attack wasn't exactly the same and shaky, but close. Temari used her fan as a shield and hid herself behind it. She was trying to comprehend if this was the same weak girl who had lost her Chuunin Match against her own cousin. Little slits began to form on the fan who was taking a beating._

_"Who is this?" she muttered._

_Suddenly, Temari felt Gaara's presence and looked up over her fan. Hinata seemed unaware that the Kazekage was standing right behind her._

_Sand coiled around her hands which was controlling the wind and forcefully brought them down. Hinata turned around to the extent of her ability. Her eyes widened. _

_"Sabaku no Gaara..." she began._

_"GET AWAY!" Kisame shouted and charged at Gaara, but to his surprise, a fiery cage sprung up from the ground and surrounded him, making it impossible to move for fear of being burned._

_"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted, swinging his sword around, trying to break free of the fiery cage that Hinata set up._

_Hinata and Gaara were locked in a staring match. Hinata managed to break free and run a few paces, only to be dragged back by Gaara's sand._

_"What are you doing here?" Gaara asked quietly._

_"W-What is it to you?" Hinata struggled._

_Gaara said nothing. He beckoned the sand closer to him. The two were barely four inches apart._

_"Go back to Konoha. Everyone's worried about you." he said, coldly._

_Hinata glared. _

_"So what? I went with Itachi to get stronger. Not weaker." she said._

_"You were already weak. How could you get stronger with them if you couldn't even excel with your family?" Gaara hissed._

_"Too many people, too many pressures."_

_"Hinata."_

_The two looked up. Itachi was standing in the sun with Kisame, Deidara and Sasori. They were glaring at Gaara._

_"DON'T WORRY, ANGEL, YEAH! WE'LL GET YOU OUTTA THERE, YEAH!" Deidara shouted and was about to jump down when Itachi grabbed his cloak and threw him back. He nodded to Hinata._

_"Hurry it up." Itachi sighed in a bored tone._

_ She looked straight at Gaara, who looked taken aback. She blushed and whispered,_

_"Don't take this personally." she laughed quietly and closed the gap between them. _

_Gaara took a few steps backward as Hinata softly kissed him. Gaara's eyes widened in shock and there was a few seconds pause._

_"Let's **go**, Hinata." Itachi muttered, irritated._

_The sand loosened and Hinata broke away and vaulted to where Itachi and the others were smirking._

_"Till next time, Gaara!" Hinata laughed and they vanished in a whisk of fire..._

The video was paused there. There was a silence. Then Ino laughed sheepishly. Neji's mouth had fallen open slightly and he was pointing at the TV screen in what was horror/surprise. Naruto was laughing his head off, Kiba had fainted and Shino was silent and smirking.

TenTen was giggling with Sakura who was grinning. Sasuke was smirking at Gaara who had turned slightly red but retained his cold demeanor. Lee hit him on the back, laughing. His optimistic behavior was back. Shikamaru had fallen asleep...

"So...she defeated you with a kiss?" Sakura asked between laughs.

"It's not funny." Kankuro hissed.

"Woah. Chill out. It's just a joke. I mean, that couldn't have been Hinata..." Naruto said meekly.

"It was. Her white eyes gave her away. How she acquired the Sharingan is a mystery to us, but still..." Temari said, sighing.

Everyone glanced at Sasuke. He glared back. The sight of Itachi had made his blood hot again and he wasn't too happy.

"Sasuke..." Sakura began, worry painting the name dearest to her. She rested her hand on his trembling arm.

"No...I won't go after him. But if he ever comes here..." he faded off.

There was a silence.

"So, Gaara. Was it your first kiss?" Lee snickered.

"Shut up."

----

Sweets: Well that's nice. Gaara' got a kiss.

Gaara: REVIEW UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE THIS AUTHOR DEAD.


	6. Someone is Watching

SweetStealer: Since Chapter 5 was long...this is rather short.

Sasuke: You're terrible.

Sweets: Thank you.

Hinata: I KICK ASS!

All: Oo;

Sweets: I don't own Naruto.

---

**Chapter 6**

"Get up, angel. Is that the best you've got?" Kisame laughed harshly, leaning on his sword for support.

"Not in the least." Hinata smirked.

While she vanished into the air, Kisame stopped smiling at once. He suddenly felt a great weight on him as Hinata's foot collided with his face.

'Damn, she's getting fast.' he thought, as he hit the earthy ground.

Hinata stood over him, laughing. It wasn't a cruel laugh or a mocking one, just generous and humor filled. Kisame was, after all, her favorite sparring partner.

Hinata had indeed changed. Her dark purple hair fell to her shoulders and she had gotten taller. Her pearly white eyes had grown sharp and cunning, but not cold.

She still seemed sweet and innocent, but was stronger and much more wild. All her hesitation was gone. In its place was skill. She had acquired the need to fight, aggressive blood ran wild in her veins.

This was the effect Itachi had on her. The effect that the Akatsuki had on her.

She wore her same black capris with a weapons belt and pouch slung carelessly around her waist. Her black mesh teeshirt stuck to her hot body like glue. A black, sleeveless vest with a high collar had been thrown to the side since her training had started. Her forehead protector had a deep scratch etched right through the Kohona symbol.

The sweet, hated memory of her village...

Sweat rolled down Hinata's face. She examined her opponent carefully. She had trained with Kisame before. This time, she was close to beating him. Oh yes, Hinata had gotten stronger. Much stronger. Her speed rivaled Gai's and her instincts and planning were similar to Shikamaru's. However, she did acquire several new advances...

"Sharingan!"

Yes. She had gotten the Sharingan from Itachi. He wanted to see if she would live through the process. **She had**. His little guinea pig.

Her desire to live was strong. She wanted to show what she had learned to the world, the desire to prove herself. They had exchanged blood and to Itachi's slight disappointment, he had not acquired the Byakugan, only a new, but skilled, apprentice. This still pleased him...

Pulling out a katana from her sword sheath on her back, Hinata analyzed her attack for flaws. She found none. She went into a familiar attack stance, only she put her sword in her mouth. This made her hands free to perform jutsus and handseals when needed. She would need them in this final attack.

"You can't touch me." Kisame roared, knowing she was going all out.

The two charged at each other and were about to collide when Hinata, in the blink on an eye, vaulted into the air, and shouted,

"DRAGON FIRE EDGE SWORD!"

Her katana ignited in a burst of flames and she went all out on the shark demon who was struggling to continue. Sparks were flying. This was it...this was the moment...

'I'm going to win!' Hinata thought, excited. 'Almost there...'

"Stop." a cold voice commanded.

Itachi stepped out from the shadows. Hinata looked up. She respectfully, but reluctantly, lowered her blade and stepped back.

'SO CLOSE!' she thought, furious that she hadn't finished it off sooner.

The Uchiha, seeing her disapointment, ruffled her hair and said,

"Deidara and Sasori are back from their mission."

Hinata's eyes lit up, all traces of being let down, gone. Sasori and Deidara were like older brothers to her and she was _totally_ devoted to them. She was more devoted to them even more then she had been to Naruto...

"They're back already?! That's great!" she smiled, knowing that Sasori and Deidara would have yet another interesting story to tell her.

"Yes, well..." Itachi faded off into silence.

"What's up?" Kisame asked, sheathing the Samehada.

"Nothing." Itachi said sharply. "Hinata, go start dinner."

Hinata cast one last worried look at her mentor. Itachi saw this and awkwardly patted the top of her head. He was never one for affection.

"Go." He ordered and gave her a push.

"A-alright..."

She vanished into the forest. Sasori and Deidara emerged from the tops of the trees, laughing quietly to themselves.

"She looks well..." Sasori observed.

"She's doing fine...She's still hesitant and a bit too kind for my taste, but she learns fast." Kisame reported and sat down.

"I have news." Itachi said abruptly.

They all looked at him.

"News, yeah...?" Deidara asked, sitting as well.

"Remember when we were in Suna? You cause a lot of trouble and the Kazekage bodyguards showed up?" Itachi asked.

They nodded.

"You were videotaped. All of us. For Hinata, this isn't good. The tape is now in the hands of Konoha's Hokage, Tsunade. I expect she'll send out a seach team by tonight."

"What?!" Kisame roared.

Clouds of black birds took into a startled flight. Itachi nodded.

"There's no way. I cut all of them...every single...one..." Sasori muttered, lost as to how he missed a camera.

"That girl...the sister to the Kazekage. She was rigged."

"So what will we do, yeah? We can't let angel go back, but we can't let ourselves get caught either, yeah." Deidara asked, looking to Itachi.

There was a silence.

"S-Sasori-kun! Deidara-kun!"

Hinata had been bringing back their dinner (smoked fish), but she dropped the package and threw herself onto her favorite Akatsuki members.

"HEY! ANGEL!" Sasori shouted, plastering on a fake smile.

"I missed you!" she cried, hugging Deidara.

Deidara and Sasori had fallen in love with the adorable girl when they first met. Hinata was a little afraid, but with Itachi and Kisame's help, she got to know them...sorta.

"Is dinner ready?" Kisame asked, standing up.

"Yup!" she said brightly.

"Let's eat. We'll talk more later." Itachi said, beginning to walk off.

He let the others pass him and he looked around.

'We're being watched...' he thought.

However, only patches of sunkissed leaves met his red gaze and he shrugged and walked off.

---

Sweets: THanks for reading! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. My angel

SweetStealer: WOOT! ANOTHER CHAPTER UP! IM ACTUALLY GETTIN REVIEWS!

Deidara: Who cares, yeah?

Sasori: She act's so surprised.

Itachi: Obviously it's some kind of ruse to get people to tell her she's great and give her MORE reviews.

Hinata: Um...

Sweets: ITACHI-TEME! YOU'RE A DEAD AKATSUKI MEMBER.

Hinata: Sweets doesn't own Naruto!!

---

**Chapter 7**

Hinata lay awake, stirring restlessly in the dark of night. Itachi was a little ways away, next to her, looking at the moon. Hinata got up and went to him. Kisame and the others were already asleep or out scouting the area. She could still faintly hear Sasori and Deidara near the campfire, fighting over directions. Again.

"Itachi-sensei? You should sleep." she murmured.

He turned to her.

"I don't need to." he said, coldly.

"O-oh."

There was a silence. Hinata looked up at the sky, realizing it was exactly the same way she had left it when she had taken off with the Akatsuki. Same full moon, same glittering stars, same navy sky...

"Beautiful..." she sighed, content.

Itachi cast a glance over at her. She still looked so innocent in his eyes. But then again, he was a cold-blooded killer. He breathed in deeply. The forest air was clear and cold, making him alert.

"Do you miss Konoha?" he asked suddenly.

Hinata turned to him, a questioning look on her face. When Itachi asked her a question, it usually had a deeper meaning.

"S-sometimes." she said, softly.

"Did you...ever regret joining with us?" Itachi asked quietly.

'He's worried that I'll turn my back on the Akatsuki. Is he thinking I just..._used_ them?' Hinata wondered.

"Never. Killers and cold-hearted you claim to be, but that's not entirely true. Sure, you can all kill in cold blood and turn your back on the world, but you aren't all... **_evil_**." Hinata began, looking at the stars.

Itachi looked at the fifteen year old girl next to him. He knew she was still afraid of him, and he knew she had a reason to be. But still, here she was, telling him, Itachi, the one responsible for the massacre of his clan, that he wasn't evil.

"The reason I know this is because...you let a poor, _worthless_ girl into the Akatsuki. You took her and molded her into something, you _made her someone_. You taught her how to be strong..." Hinata sighed.

Itachi absentmindedly ruffled her hair and she looked at him, puzzled. He gave the first warm smile he had given in years.

"Good."

They sat on the grass in complete silence. They stared at the sky and Hinata glanced at her mentor. She knew something was...off.

"I've taught you everything I know. Even then, you still found time to train yourself and learn new jutsus. Your skills have improved dramatically. You've learned and mastered the secrets of the Byakugan and are starting to learn the Sharingan. Your speed and wit are above natural ANBU level." Itachi said, almost incoherently.

Hinata looked up, completely startled. Itachi had _**never** _praised her, or anyone for that matter. This was completely new.

"Through all of this, you've mastered the art of summoning the elements without handseals, something I couldn't do until recently. You've become a genius in the arts."

Hinata nearly choked on air.

"Wha-?" she questioned.

"I'm saying, there's nothing more I can really teach you. You learn pretty fast. In just a year you were able to do all of this, while still perfecting your chakra control." Itachi continued.

"Sensei, please. You're becoming soft. You're giving me too much credit. I-I'm still weak and my practice regime is full of mistakes." Hinata looked to the ground, her mind racing, trying to figure out all the possible reasons Itachi would be telling her this.

Itachi was silent for a long time.

"I'm not your sensei anymore. I now see you as an equal."

Hinata's mouth fell slightly opened. Her face paled and her pearly eyes went wide.

"NO! Itachi-sensei! Have you been **_drinking _**or something?!"

Itachi gave a cold laugh. Hinata looked up questionly.

"Angel, angel, angel..." he began, "Your self-esteem is still pretty low. Work on that."

"H-hai..."

Itachi stood up. He then vanished into thin air and Hinata returned to looking at the moon. She began to think and think very hard.

She began to remember why they called her angel and that day in Suna, before she battled the Kazekage and his siblings. A warm day...

**Flashback://**

"Kisame-san...why do you call me angel?" Hinata asked as she carried the shopping bags.

It was midafternoon and the sun was beginning to go down. It left behind a trail of red, pink and white, painting the sky. The air was warm and dry and hardly anyone was in the streets. Well, after the chaos they had just caused, they didn't really expect anyone to be.

There was a small period of silence.

"Why do we call you angel?" Sasori asked. "Tell her Kisame. Just don't let her go all...mushy on us."

"Huh?" Hinata turned to him.

"I guess we call you angel because..." Deidara began.

"You're our bit of heaven. You're like the little innocent..._thing _that we can't help protecting." Kisame answered, turning away. He never had been good with words.

"Yeah. We usually stand for bloodshed and killing, but with you, we just want to protect our angel...?" Deidara stated. It came mout ore like a question.

"That would be you, Hinata." Sasori added, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Hinata froze. She dropped the shopping bags in shock.

_Affection?_

"Wha...?" she began.

Tears began to well up in her eyes and she covered her red face with her hands, embarrassed.

"Aww...she's so humble." Sasori teased, taking her hands off of her face.

"You're probably one of the most important things to us, yeah..." Deidara added, picking up a dropped grocery bags and taking out an apple.

"Remember that, angel." Kisame grinned at her, revealing his teeth.

Hinata couldn't stand it anymore. She ran over to them, and hugged them tightly, as if she never wanted to let go.

"Hey...don't get mushy-." Deidara sighed, impatiently but was cut off.

"THANK YOU." she cried.

_T-these people. These assassins...could show me love...when my own family couldn't?_

Hinata cried into their shirts and they just rolled their eyes and glanced at each other.

"C'mon, angel, let's go. Itachi is waiting for us."

Hinata drew back, wiped her eyes and smiled at the rare sign of love they were showing.

'They are..._people_ too, after all...' she thought.

**End Flashback://**

'They're not evil, cruel or harsh. They're just...misunderstood.' she concluded lazily and she drifted off to sleep.

A half hour later, Itachi found her asleep in the exact same place he had left her. He shook his head, bent down and picked her up. He carried her back to the camp and left her there to sleep the night away while he kept watch over her.

He looked down. She really did look angelic. An innocent girl, still new to the world, still curious and scared. Itachi sighed and traced her face with his finger.

'It's been one year...'

Itachi took the rest of the night to think. Why did he take her in in the first place?

'She was the only one who understood...' he thought, remembering the day when they had first met.

At first, he had mocked and taunted her weakness, but then she made him realize that he wasn't alone. She was with him. She too was being weakened by her clan's expectations and pride. She too wanted to break free and fly...

"An angel..." he murmured as he stroked her hair.

_My angel?_

Love was an emotion Itachi was new to.

---

Sweets: Whew! One more chapter up! Yay!

Itachi: ...

Hinata: Review please!

Sasori: It's that purple thing down there. See it?

Deidara: Click it, eh.

Kisame: NOW.


	8. Rescue

SweetStealer: One more up!

Hinata: throws mini party

Sweets: pumps air YOSH!

Deidara: Sweets doesn't own Naruto. We will soon. We plan to take and bake him into a pie and-

Itachi: EAT HIM!! MAUHAHAHAHA!

---

**Chapter 8:**

Tsunade ran a hand through her hair as she watched the video for the sixth time that day. It was late in the afternoon and she still didn't have any course of action to take. Shizune handed her another glass of sake and Tsunade drank it down in one gulp.

The new Konoha chuunin were sitting restlessly in her office, watching the video with her. Gaara was getting over the humiliation and was now seeing and sensing the tense and worried atmosphere the video was creating.

'One little video does all that?' he thought, watching Hinata kiss him over and over again.

The most restless were Neji, Naruto and Sasuke. It was understandable, yes, but still...every few seconds Neji would ask,

"Have you figured out what to do, _yet?!_"

Sasuke would stand up every time Itachi came on screen and Sakura would have to force him back down, a pleading look on her face.

Naruto was his same, loud, annoying self, staring at the screen, pretending to have a plan going on in his mind.

Finally, Tsunade turned off the T.V. She swiveled in her chair and faced them. Her eyes told everyone she was reluctant to say what she was about to, and her knuckles turned white from gripping the seat.

"Fine. We'll send out a search party."

Neji, Kiba, Shino and Naruto sprang out of their seats and Naruto shouted,

"FINALLY!"

"Wait." Shizune said quietly, knowing her boss wasn't finished.

There was a tense silence.

"Only a select few will go. I want Hyuuga, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Inuzuka, and Aburame to go. The rest of you will stay here." Tsunade ordered firmly.

"WHAT?!" the girls shrieked. Shikamaru snored contently in his corner. Gaara and his siblings walked out, feeling slightly relieved.

They felt their part was done. They had delivered the message.

"I'm sorry. I need all of the girls here and Shikamaru will also be needed. I don't have many to spare. And with Lee on a mission with Gai...we need all the help we can get. You have two days. No more, no less." Tsunade said quietly, folding her hands.

She was beginning to wonder if this was the right thing to do.

"The Akatsuki should be in the Fire Country. Search the areas and leave no spot unchecked." Shizune said, handing Sasuke a map with information on it.

"Remember." Tsunade voice was sharp when she spoke. "This is a search and rescue mission **only**. I don't want any of you to engage in combat with any Akatsuki members unless **absolutely** needed. Understand?!" she asked, mainly toward Sasuke, Neji and Naruto.

They grumbled in response and walked out, leaving an unsure Tsunade behind and a frightened Shizune by the window.

A half hour later, the small rescue team was assembled. They decided, to avoid conflict, that there would be no team leader.

"We should work as a group and stay as a group." Shino advised, looking at the map over Sasuke's shoulder.

"Agreed. Hinata should be somewhere in the forest on the border. We'll check there first." Neji said, looking around to see if anyone had any objections.

"What if we _do_ run into the Akatsuki? I mean, we do have the possibility of fighting." Kiba asked, scratching a shaking Akamaru.

"We...take Hinata and run like hell." Naruto voiced.

The others looked at him, annoyed.

"We'll face them if we have to, but only in defense. We're there to get Hinata and then get out." Sasuke muttered, rolling up the map.

"Well then..." Naruto said as began to walk out of the Konoha gates.

"Let's go." Neji said firmly.

They took to the shadows in the forest, with Sakura, Ino and TenTen watching them from afar.

"They'll bring her back..." Sakura muttered.

"Of course. After all...they are Konoha's finest." TenTen smiled at Ino.

"We all are." Ino finished.

Quietly, they all said a prayer and reluctantly went back to training by themselves.

_Be safe. Let everyone come back. Alive._

---

Sweets: Reviews would be nice.


	9. Don't kill

SweetStealer: I don't own Naruto

Hinata: A dramatic chapter.

Sasori: A funny chapter.

Itachi: A sad chapter.

Deidara: Your grandmother's big toe chapter!

---

**Chapter 9:**

The morning sunshine was glaring at Hinata, shining like a ten trillion watt death ray that was about to blind her into oblivion...sorta.

Wearily she opened her eyes.

'God. I hate empty dreams.' she thought, rubbing her eyes, hoping to brush away the sleep.

Her hand felt strangely warm...

"Hinata, are you up?" Sasori asked, poking his head into her tent.

"Yup. I'm up. Unfortunatly." she added.

He laughed. It was awkward and weird to hear the Scorpian of the Red Sand laugh, but it was also weird to see Itachi smile...warmly.

Hinata grinned. She jumped out of her sleeping bag and proceeded to walk out when she tripped over her own feet and flew the rest of the way there. Thankfully, Sasori managed to catch her in time.

"You're such a clutz, angel." he muttered, pushing her rightside up.

"Heh heh..." she laughed shyly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Let's go. Today we need to go on some scouting missions and steal a few things...other then that, it's gonna be quiet."

Hinata nodded and Sasori left to let her change. Hinata sighed and looked around for her clothes.

Damn...she forgot. She had washed all of her clothes and now they were drying on a nearby tree...

"I'll borrow some of Deidara's...or some...thing..." she thought, sweatdropping.

She finally found a long black shirt from Deidara, her black capris that were a little muddy, and a vest from Sasori. She threw on her shoes and socks and crawled out of the tent. Lastly, she put on her Akatsuki cloak and tied it around herself.

She collided neatly with Kisame who looked down on her with a questioning stare. Well, it was more of a glare. They never really did get along, but they were still friendly...a little...

"What?" they both asked in unison.

"Nothing." they said again.

Hinata stood up, spit at his feet, and walked off.

"GET BACK HERE HYUUGA!"

Deidara was coming out of his tent when Hinata flew past him with a panicked look on her face and a very, very pissed off Kisame behind her.

"What the fuc-" he began but Sasori followed them and crashed into the sleepy Akatsuki member.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YEAH!" Deidara shouted at Sasori.

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, FACE!" Sasori yelled back, smacking him as he past the explosion master.

"DON'T KILL ME!" Hinata cried, as the Samehada nearly came crashing down on her.

"I'LL KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO, ANGEL!" Kisame roared, trying to shave her down into a pile of dust.

"GET BACK HERE, BOTH OF YOU!" Sasori shouted, running after them, leaving Deidara lying on the ground moaning.

The three of them managed to race out onto the forest. There was no one about, and all three of them were surprisingly energetic for it being 8:00 in the morning.

Memories rushed back to Hinata as she fled Kisame. Somehow, talking with Itachi about Konoha made her remember a little bit...The roads, the fun, the excitement...

'The weakness.' she reminded herself severely.

As she dashed into a clearing, Kisame threw his blade. Hinata only had a half second to backflip out of the way and skid to an easy halt. Sasori stood in the shadow of the trees, watching Kisame exercise Hinata little to get her and keep her pumped up.

'Dive, dodge, fall back, charge, dive, dodge, fall back, activate Sharingan.' Hinata mentally talked herself through the routine.

"You're getting good, angel." Sasori observed as Hinata and Kisame took a break 40 minuets later.

Hinata, breathing heavily, gave a weak smile.

"Thanks to you guys." she grinned, picking up her katana.

There was a comfortable silence between the three of them.

"Kisame, we have scouting duties. You'll be ok here, Hinata?" Sasori asked, standing up.

Hinata looked surprised, but nodded.

"I'll be ok." she said and stood up with them.

"We'll be back soon. Deidara or Itachi will come to check on you soon." Kisame said and with that, the two leaped onto a tree branch and disappeared from sight.

Hinata suddenly felt very...lonely. She wished for some form of company and she slumped down the side of a tree. She could feel the rough bark etch into the back of Kisame's vest and she laid her head back.

"WOOF WOOF!"

Hinata sat up straight as a pin. A large, white dog came bounding up to her and pounced on her, licking and slobering her face.

"What the-" she began and pushed the dog off. She took a good look at it.

Her eyes widened and her heart nearly stopped.

"A-Akamaru...?"

**The Rescue team:**

**Naruto**

**Sasuke**

**Kiba**

**Neji**

**Shino**

"AKAMARU FOUND SOMETHING!" Kiba shouted to the others as he watched his abruptly excited dog bound off into the foliage.

The other four caught up with Kiba who was chasing his dog.

"It could be-" Naruto began but suddenly stopped when they all reached a small clearing.

A girl...A girl white eyes and dark purple hair sat quietly in front of them...a sad, innocent girl...

_How-?!_

"H-Hinata?" Kiba and Neji muttered.

Hinata stood up, Akamaru bounding around her legs like an overly excited puppy. Shino took of his sunglasses to see if it was really her.

"N-Neji nii san?" she stuttered.

Neji stepped foreward with the others.

"H-Hinata! It's really you!" Neji smiled for the first time in a while.

Hinata stepped back.

"HURRY HINATA! COME WITH US BEFORE THEY CATCH US!" Naruto shouted to her.

Hinata seemed frozen and she backed up against the side of the tree. Color drained from her face and she felt so cold...

"N-no. Go away!" she stammered and tried to move.

She found herself still frozen to the tree.

"Let's go!" Kiba had a big grin on his face and he stepped toward her.

"S-stay back!" she cried.

Now, they were confused. Why did she want them to stay away? Naruto reached out to touch her when a cold voice hissed,

"Make one more move toward her and you're dead."

Itachi appeared from the ebony shadows and pulled Hinata away from them.

There was a silence. Hinata looked at them pleadingly. Itachi was remaining in his usual cold, uncaring pose. However, there was a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

Sasuke stiffened and grit his teeth menacingly.

"Hinata, come home with us!" Neji begged, stepping foreward.

Hinata's hair covered her white eyes. She finally raised her eyes and they all stepped a few feet back. Her Byakugan was activated and there was immense pain visible.

"Hinata..." Kiba faded out. Akamaru was cowering to the side and Kiba had tears running down his face.

"Come home, Hinata..." Shino stepped foreward, his hands outstretched.

Hinata backed away hesitantly. She shot a nervous glance at Itachi who looked back slightly dazed.

"No..." Hinata wailed. "Please, go home without me!"

"But-" Naruto began.

"Naruto-kun! Please don't try to convince me! I'm sure this is what I want!" she cried, as the blonde boy walked to her.

Naruto reached out to hug her when Itachi suddenly stepped foreward again. Sasuke saw this and was at Naruto's side in a flash. Both eyes were red and filled with fury. However, Itachi was not trembling with rage like Sasuke, he had put his arms protectivly around Hinata who backed up into his embrace.

"Stay **_away_** from her." he hissed.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD STAY FROM HER!" Sasuke shouted, his fury echoing in the silence of the forest.

"Foolish brother." Itachi addressed him.

Hinata closed her eyes.

"Go now..." she murmured.

Itachi stepped foreward. He towered over them. As he released Hinata from his embrace, she stumbled backwards. She saw what was coming.

Sasuke had the Chidori activated in the blink of an eye, Naruto had already formed the Rasengan. Shino was ready to attack with his bugs, who were buzzing angerily. Neji and Kiba stood to the immediate left and right of Itachi. Neji's Byakugan was activated and Akamaru was growling furiously.

Itachi was surrounded.

Hinata's eyes widened as all of the rescue team charged at him. Itachi didn't even blink an eye. Unthinking, she began to run into the battle.

_Why are you doing this? Why are they here? Why don't they leave?! _

_Please don't have anyone killed...Please don't kill anyone! _

_DON'T KILL!_

**Blood.**

---

Sweets: Review!


	10. NOTICE

AN IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE AUTHOR:

No, I'm not taking this down.

I'm just stopping by to say that I'm putting up a _side fic_ called:

**Alleviation.**

It's about the time Hinata was with Itachi. It's much darker then this fic and much deeper...

It can be called angsty and dramatic, but what the hell. I wanted it that way.

Thanks for all your reviews guys! I really appreciate it!

I'll have the next chapter up shortly! I promise!

And if I don't...LET ME BE TIED UP AND DROWNED IN CHERRY SODAS AND SHIRLEY TEMPLES!

Thank you.

Makesuretowatchoutfor**Alleviation**!

KAY?

Kay.


	11. Risks

SweetStealer: Almost there. I can see the end! But this is a short chapter! IM SORRY!

Hinata: Amazing!

Itachi: What's so amazing about it?

Hinata: Well-um-

Sweets: Whatever. I don't own Naruto. YEAH!

---

**CHAPTER 10**

Hinata appeared in front of Itachi in the blink of an eye. She spread her arms outward and closed her eyes and waited for impact.

'I CAN'T STOP!' Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened.

No one of them could. Itachi took the few seconds he had left and looked down at the girl who was protecting him.

His heart beat little faster. He let a little more emotion in. He blinked.

Hinata gave a shriek as all of the attacks hit her. She skidded back into Itachi who caught her and held her close.

_Death..._

The Chidori and the Rasengan had done the most damage, but it was the minor things that really counted.

Shino's bugs didn't have enought time to stop and had blinded Hinata so she couldn't defend herself. Kiba and Akamaru had nearly torn her left arm to pieces, blood seeped and spread everywhere, painting their faces and clothes. Neji had hit her with his Hakke Rokujūyon Shō. He had hit hard. This shut down her chakra control so that when Sasuke and Naruto attacked, she was completely helpless.

She was so weak.

The boys' eyes widened as they saw the damage they had inflicted on their friend.

Blood. Bruises. Broken bones. Muscles torn. Hearts broken. Pain. Fury. Hate. Dispair. Love. Regret.

Itachi, furious, brought out his Magekyo Sharingan. Sasuke stepped back, his own Sharingan blazing with fury and horror. Itachi clutched her shoulders and snarled when Sasuke and Neji tried to come close.

"Don't...fight." Hinata managed to stammer out as she looked up, weakly.

She looked up and smiled weakly at them. In the midst of the attack, she had grabbed Itachi's hand. She now squeezed it tightly and finally collapsed at their feet, hanging between life and death.

Itachi let her hand fall and stepped back a few paces. His eyes were still unreadable...but behind his eyes...inside his head...

_She risked her life for me. Why?! Why would she do something so stupid?!...Foolish girl! Stupid, stupid, stupid girl!_

The boys went completely off the attack and dropped to their knees in front of her.

"HINATA!" Neji shouted, shaking her frantically...desperatly...wanting some sign of life.

"We...killed her?" Naruto questioned, paling considerably.

"Nonononononononononononono..." Kiba stuttered over and over, feeling for a nonexistat pulse.

Sasuke remained standing in complete horror with Shino who was shaking from head to toe. Itachi knelt down next to them and immediatly the others formed a protective barrier around her.

_She's dying. She's dying because of me._

"Get out of here." Sasuke hissed, angrily. "I will kill you."

"Move." Itachi said, quietly.

"No." Naruto said hotly, activating the Rasengan.

"If you don't let me heal her...she'll die. It will be your fault if you don't let me get to her." the Akatsuki said calmly.

They hesitated...and pondered quickly.

"F-fine..." Kiba said, being the first to stepped back.

The others followed suit and hurridly retreated giving him some space. Some.

Itachi gracefully sat down. He put his two of his fingers on her forehead and relesed some healing chakra into her.

He then picked her up gently, much to the anger of others.

"Set-her-**_down_**." Neji said through gritted teeth.

Instead of responding to him, Itachi turned around and spoke to the trees that surrounded them.

"You can come out." he said, his voice cracking.

The new Chuunin looked around. From the trees, Kisame, Sasori and Deidara emerged from the darkness, unreadable emotions painted on their faces.

A heartless monster.

A puppet master.

A pyromaniac.

A _**demon.**_

"What the hell happened here?" Sasori asked, looking around. His eyes fell on Hinata. He glared dangerously at them.

"What did you **do** to her?"

Deidara rushed foreward to take Hinata from Itachi.

"She's hurt, yeah. We need to take her to a hospital." he said, feeling her forehead. "She's burning up, yeah."

"The closest hospital is...Konoha." Kisame said, regretfully.

Everyone turned to the shark demon. This was true, and the possibilites were endless. How much did they care for her? How much were they willing to risk for her?

"Fine. We'll take her home." Neji said, feeling slightly relieved.

"But you're all coming. Wether you like it or not." Naruto hissed.

The Akatsuki looked at Itachi who nodded.

"Oh, we're coming. We're coming for her. _**Because**_ of her." Sasori said coldly.

"Let's go. We're all on the same side for now." Neji said, looking at Sasuke, worridly.

The younger Uchiha stiffened at the idea but went along anyway and jumped into the air. \

"This isn't a good idea." Kisame muttered.

"We'll have to turn ourselves in." Sasori said to Itachi.

There was a silence.

"I know."

_Will I risk death for her?_

They all disappeared into the deep ebony of the forest.

The sun began to rise.

---

Sweets: Wow. Now that that's over, the end is nearing!!!

Deidara: Review YEAH!


	12. Deception

SweetStealer: Yes! Almost done. The ending needs work. But it's almost done.

Itachi: Good work, fool.

Sweets: Sucks on candy Yep.

Itachi: Sweets doesn't own Naruto.

---

**Chapter 11:**

Hiashi Hyuuga stepped into the hospital. His forboding presence made the white building frosty and cold. Next to him was Hanabi, who was a trembling mass of nerves and cells. She held onto one of her nurse's hands and walked in hesitantly. The hospital went silent. The ringing of the telephones was answered until after Hiashi passed, his gaze piercing every soul in the room.

"Hyuuga, Hinata." Hiashi said softly to a flustered nurse. The name was seemingly foreign on his tongue, and it came out colder then intended.

A young, blonde nurse looked up, frightened, clutching her clipboard to her chest, crushing all the graphs and paperwork with a small 'crunch'.

"Uh...uh...She's in the ER Hyuuga-sama. You can't see her right now thoug-" she stumbled over her words, trying to flatten out the crumpled papers.

Hiashi silenced her with one of his glares and stormed off to the elevator. Hanabi and her nurse rushed in behind him, not wanting to be left behind. Hiashi forced people out of the way, his white eyes burning. The elevator car was silent as the grave.

When they got out, they found several people already there.

Neji was pacing in front of a closed door, worry lining his handsome features. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his face pale and gaunt. Instantly, Hiashi was reminded of a time when Hinata looked like that, when he was in the hospital.

She had been...4? Or was it 5? Hiashi had an encounter with some troubling ninja, wounding his arm. Afterwards, he reminded himself as he shook himself from memory, he had picked her up and swung her around lovingly.

_Memories._

Sasuke and Naruto were sitting back to back, staring off into space. They leaned on each other for support, something neither of them got a lot of. To them, this was more then a retrival mission. This was saving a friend. Hinata, though she was not well known to Sasuke, had done little things for them. But all Sasuke knew was that his brother was with her. If she was with him...did he _need_ to kill her too?

_Decisions._

Kiba had fallen asleep with Akamaru on his lap. Blood was caked onto Kiba's arms, leaving a dirty red stain on everything he was wearing. Akamaru had been given a bath and was whining in his owner's lap as the dog listened to the even breathing of Shino, who was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed.

_Heartache._

Sakura and Ino were there, in a daze. Their eyes continously darted toward the ICU door where frantic shouting from Shizune was heard. TenTen was playing with a kunai nervously, swinging it around through the loophole. Lee, who had gotten back right after they left, was sitting in a tense silence, watching Neji pace.

_Worry._

"Neji." Hiashi commanded. "Come here."

The boy looked up, as did everyone else in the room. He obidently came, his eyes wandering to his uncle's face. He was surprised to see that the cold look that he usually reserved for his children was now...softer. The older man sighed and Hanabi latched herself onto her father's leg.

"Hai, Hiashi-sama?" Neji bowed, respectfully.

"How is she?" he said, his voice hoarse.

"We...we don't know." Neji murmured regretfully, looking around at the faces of his comrades.

There was a silence. Hiashi looked at the red light about the ER doors that held his eldest daughter right behind them, bruised, bloody, and possibly dead.

"And the Akatsuki?"

---------------------------

The former Akatsuki members were conversing in harsh tones, in the darkness of prison cells. Kisame was twirling his Samehada absentmindedly. The blade was making quite a mark on the wall. Dirt crumbled to his feet and his annoyed, manic grin increased with every notch he made on the stone. Sasori and Deidara were silent, eyes sharp and aware.

"We never should have come here, yeah." Deidara, hissed, his palms bandaged, his arms, feet and hands in chains.

He struggled for a minute, the sounds of metal against metal reaching their ears. The shadows and darkness played on their faces as each adjusted themselves.

"No, Hinata needed us. We couldn't have just let her-" Sasori began, tiredly.

"Oh shut the FUCK up, Sasori-senpai, yeah." Deidara shouted, well aware of the ANBU smiles behind their masks. It was amusing to hear him curse at his senpai.

It was even more amusing to hear a hint of worry lining his words.

"Look where we are." Kisama muttered, stopping his movements.

His cell was surrounded by a quite galling blue curse, he was free to move around, yet he could not break the walls that held him captive.

"Itachi-senpai! I hope you happy, yeah. Leader-sama will be most displeased, yeah." Deidara snapped, his eyes flashing in the darkness.

"No, he won't." Itachi spoke quietly for the first time in hours.

"Hinata-hime's dying and we're sitting here. If we had just left we would have had a better-"

"Silence."

The four Akatsuki member turned their heads. Tsunade was walking towards the dim cell, a light emitting from her hand. The ANBU retreated as Tsunade glared at them.

"Leave us." she hissed.

"As you wish."

They departed, their black cloaks touching the floor ever so lightly as they fled from the room.

"Now...Where to begin?" the woman asked, smirking, as she began to form seals. "Tell me how to free you."

Itachi looked closely at Tsunade's eyes. He was amazed to see that they were not ther regular amber color that he remembered, but-

"Hyuuga?"

------------

Hanabi's eyes shifted uneasily as she cast a dark look towards the ER doors. When she was younger, she hadn't appreciated her older sister a lot, she thought the older girl was a nusicance. It wasn't until after the failed Chuunan exams, that Neji told her something.

_"In all reality, she defeated me." Neji whispered, quietly._

_"What are you talking about, Nii-san?" the young girl snapped. She was quite ill-tempered and annoyed at her sister's feble actions to hit her father._

_Neji remained silent, his eyes drifting towards Hinata, who was training with her angry father. He was pushing her to her limits. She was getting beaten and everyone knew she couldn't uphold much longer..._

_"She taught me compassion. I didn't think much of it at the time, but she taught me to feel."_

_Hanabi snorted. Hinata skid into the dust and swung her leg around, bringing her father crashing down._

_"That's stupid and dramatic." she said as her father hit Hinata so hard that the glass on the winds broke and wood splintered. Neji cringed slightly._

_"You're getting weak, Nii-san." she taunted, leaving the training arena._

_Neji watched the younger girl walk off, disgusted, and turned his gaze back to Hinata. He walked over to his other cousin who had been knocked unconsious. He bent down, looked over her bloody clothes and called for the House nurse._

_Hanabi watched from the shadows. She knew, deep down, she was jealous of her sister._

_"Stupid." she muttered, and walked away._

Hanabi now looked pale and frightened. She resembled her sister in a way. The younger, black haired girl was figiting with her hands, holding her father's black robes. She closed her eyes as Neji and her father conversed in soft, quiet voices.

"Neji, understand...they will imprision her when she recovers." Hiashi whispered.

Neji stiffened.

"What?" he hissed, loud enough for Sasuke and Naruto to look up, curious. "Why?"

"She is still considered a missing-nin, and a traitor to Konoha." the Hyuuga Clan leader sighed, his head in his hands.

Hanabi froze. No, her sister couldn't live under the earth, in a cold, damp prision cell. Little did she know, Hinata had been living in one for over a year. The Akatsuki lair wasn't exactly home sweet home.

There was a hesitant silence.

"Hanabi."

She looked up. Sasuke Uchiha was calling to her. She walked over to the boy, not knowing what to expect. The obsedion eyed boy looked her over and whispred,

"How well can you perfrom henges?"

Everyone deserved freedom, right?

---

Sweets: I know, short chapter, don't shoot me.

Hinata: Aww.

Sweets: MORE COMING UP! THANKS FOR READING!

Hinata: YAY! Review please!


	13. Hatred

SweetStealer: Well, I'm back. I'm probably not in the best mood, hence the dark mood the fic is slowly taking on.

Notes: There will be some death.

----

**Chapter 12**

In hasty movements, the figures darted across the rooftops, their feet never really touching the metal, just enough to give them enough of a thrust to launch them back into the cover of darkness.

Red eyes skimmed the all too familiar surroundings. It was once a place Itachi could call _home. _His mother, his father, his brother...they were all people he cherished at one point in time. How had things come to this? It was a choice, a decision he had to make. Power versus Family. Killing versus Love.

Akatsuki versus Hinata.

He had taken both. Was this luck or stupidity?

"Itachi, we need to leave." Kisame said, indifferent, feeling uneasy as he looked back towards the prison cell that they had gladly left behind.

"I know." he whispered, looking back at the lights of the warm village.

He suddenly halted. He looked at the Tsunade impersonation in front of him. It flickered and the girl's pearly eyes widened. Itachi's eyes narrowed. There was something different...something inaccurate about this henge.

He had taught Hinata better. He knew it.

"C'mon! We have Hinata, let's go." Kisame growled, motioning to the poorly excecuted, henge of Tsunade. Sasori and Deidara decided to hang back, not wanting to interfere with the soon to be arguement.

However, in the blink of an eye, a kunai struck the shoulder of the poor henge. Immediately Tsunade vanished. In her place was a girl, smaller then Hinata, and more filled out. She had limp black hair...but the same white eyes. Colder, more frightened, but the same Hyuuga eyes.

"Hanabi. What are you doing." Itachi questioned, coldly, the younger Hyuuga's name slipping back into his mind.

"N-Nee-chan is dying..." the girl cried, flinging herself before them, begging for mercy. "Please help her!"

"You are her sister, I presume?" Sasori asked, gently.

"H-hai." the girl bowed her head.

"Don't touch her." a cold voice hissed from an opposite rooftop.

There was a 'click' of metal as the figure vaulted to their platform. His face was shadowed but Itachi had recognized the chakra pattern long ago. He had been tailing them from a distance. Itachi sighed, wearily, as Hanbai scrambled over to him, her once proud Hyuuga eyes wide with fear and horror.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha.

_I __**hate **__you._

The younger glared with such a bloodlust that Kisame shifted his sword straining against its bandages, while the other merely stared back, no signs of surprise or any emotion at all for that matter. Maturity had a different effect of both of them.

Sasori and Deidara feld through the tree tops, back towards the gateway to the border. Kisame readied his Samehada, the large sword hissing with excitement. Fresh blood tonight...

"Put it down." Itachi ordered, quietly.

Sasuke's eyes shifted and Kisame lowered it with an impatient growl.

"Fight me." the younger of the brothers snarled, pushing Hanabi aside, chakra building up in his hand.

"No." Itachi hissed, menacingly. "Get out of my way, _**boy**_."

"DAMN YOU!" Sasuke shouted, charging down the center of the clay red roof, the Chidori emitting a high pitched whistling.

Itachi outstretched his hand to stop his raging brother when Sasuke vanished from plain sight and appeared right behind his momentarily confused brother. He was unprotected.

Suddenly, there was a hiss behind him and Itachi felt electricity running through his body.

_Quick._

Itachi was soon replaced by a log and Kisame vanished. Sasuke, panting, his eyes furious, knelt down on the now deserted rooftop. Sasuke knew he should have known better. He let hate blind him again. Always...had he underestimated the situation?

"Itachi!" he roared to the night, his cry of hatred echoing through the sky.

Itachi was well on his way to the borders of Konoha by then, with Kisame right behind him. As he feld, he faintly heard Sasuke's cry of fury.

"I HATE YOU!"

As Itachi turned to look at his brother from the concealing foliage, his eyes began to bleed back to normal and his gaze softened.

"That's okay." he whispered, though he knew Sasuke couldn't hear him.

_Foolish boy._

-------------------------------------

"They're gone."

The unlucky ANBU agent who had to deliver the news nearly missed doging the flying sake cup that came rushing his way. It was followed by Tsunade's whole desk, chair and bench. Shizune gave a high-pitched screech as the Godaime tore apart her once pristine office, in an anger that would rival Hades.

"What do you mean, 'they're gone'?!" the Hokage shrieked, her eyes burning with rage.

"Tsunade-sama! Control yourself!" Shizune cried, forcing a calming, almost paralysis, jutsu on the rampaging woman.

All were breathing heavily, emotions running through their eyes. Worry, anger, disappointment...fear. Tsunade undid Shizune's jutsu and composed herself. The younger nurse breathed again.

'This was not supposed to happen. They should have never gotten out of their cells. No one should have known where they were hiding...' Tsunade fumed, chakra building up into her hands, ready to produce more wreckage the more she thought about the incompetence of her ANBU agents.

And these guys were supposed to be the best?!

"All I asked was for you to contain these S-Class ninja, and you let them ESCAPE?!" her voice excaladed up and up until Kakashi and Gai rushed in.

"Tsunade-sa-" Kakashi began but was cut off by a raging Tsunade.

"They escaped, Kakashi." Tsunade hissed, her lily white hands clenching in anger.

There was a stunned silence that filled the room. Gai stumbled back. The stillness of the room was broken as Kurenai poofed into the now destroyed office, a scroll grasped in her hands. She looked around for a moment and then hesitated to speak.

"G-godaime-"

"What?" Tsunade snapped, feeling all hope and hard work rush from her body with every step she knew the Akatsuki were making towards the edge of the border.

"It's Hinata. She-"

"Did she go with them?!" Gai asked, his hands in open claws, as if trying to drag back some hope.

"What? Go with who? I just came to say that...she's awake. They have her on a respirator and IV tubes." Kurenai raised a curious eyebrow and fumbled with the scroll.

"However...Sasuke and Hanabi have gone missing."

Tsunade stiffened and motioned for Shizune and the ANBU agent. They followed hurridly as the Hokage walked towards the open door.

"Fill her in." she ordered and the three of them vanished in a whirlwind of dust and dirt.

Kurenai turned as Kakashi and Gai began to whisper things to her. The quiet was once again broken as the sound of the paper scroll fell out of the hands of a horrified teacher and clacked onto the wood floor.

-------------------------------------------------------

Tsunade had trouble containing her disappointment, but forced it down anyway when she entered the ICU ward the contained the now awake Hinata. However, she was surprised to see that everyone was still in the waiting room, save Sasuke and Hanabi and the girls. Hisashi's head was in his hands, and he was breathing shallowly.

"Why are you all sitting here like a bunch of fools? Didn't someone tell you that Hinata is awake?" she asked sharply, looking to see if anyone else was missing.

"She doesn't want to see any of us." Kiba said, placing a hand on Akamaru who whined and thumped his tail.

"What? Why?" Shizune asked, hesitantly opening the ICU door.

Suddenly, a green filled jar flew right past her unsuspecting head and crashed right about Naruto's, raining down glass and medicine upon his blonde head.

"That's why." Neji said, quietly.

"The next person who tries to open this door will find themselves with glass in their throat." a voice from the dark ICU room hissed with such fierceness that Tsunade stepped back.

"I thought you said she was calm when you were fighting her." Shizune cast a petrified glance towards the boys.

"She...she was." Naruto began to protest but Lee and Shino stopped them.

"She's asking for Uchiha-san." Lee murmured.

"Sasuke?" Tsunade asked, quickly.

"No." Hiashi's voice echoed in the ward. "Uchiha Itachi."

From inside the hospital room, a crash of glass was heard and a hurt, desperate, wail from Hinata chilled them. She was crying.

Tsunade gave a hard look to the Hyuuga leader, surprised to see him so passified, and finally opened the door, catching the flying glass that shot her way. She closed the door behind her and looked around the room.

Red eyes were seen, gleaming from the corner. A figure was crouched on a window sill, another glass medicine jar poised for an accurate hit. Tsunade extended her arms and hands. Tsunade was just a bit startled at the sight of her Sharingan so perfectly excuted, but her mask of calm was nothing less then perfection.

"Hinata Hyuuga...please remain calm."

"Why should I?!" the girl cried, throwing a jar that missed Tsunade's head by a milimeter.

It crashed on the opposite wall, spattering green ointment everywhere. The Godaime made a mental note to put medicines in plastic jars from then on. But at the moment, she had bigger things to worry about.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Tsunade asked, in the most soothing voice she could muster up in her situation.

"Where. Is. Itachi." Hinata hissed, furiously pulling out IV tubes from her arm.

"He has left."

Hinata dropped the glass jar she was holding. Her red eyes began to bleed back to white, the same expression of complete surprise staying the same. Her whole face showed distrust. She activated her Byakugan.

"You _**lie**_." she snarled.

"Why do you suppose you feel this way? Even though you spent time with the Akatsuki, you still retained a somewhat gentle nature. This isn't your emotion speaking. It's Itachi's."

Hinata started, but slumped back down when Tsunade pinned her in place and put a sedative shot in her arm. It was something that would soothe her, but keep her awake at the same time.

"You have Itachi's blood running through your veins, right?" she asked, trying to figure out her next move.

Hinata, numbed, nodded mutely.

"Then he is angry."

"That's because you put him in chains!" Hinata cried, her voice low and hollow.

"He has escaped."

"No. You're lying." Hinata bit her lip until it bled.

Tsunade watched the blood trickle down her chin and onto her neck. She took a damp rag and wiped the clearly distressed face of Hinata clean. Her heart softened, though she did not know why Hinata would have been so upset.

"If you lose anymore blood, you will die." Tsunade stated bluntly.

Hinata was silent.

"Hinata. Look at me." Tsunade ordered.

The girl faced her, hoplessness filling her eyes. The woman was taken aback.

"He said...they said they would always be there. No matter what."

"They delivered you back to your home. Isn't that what you wanted?" Tsunade asked, quietly.

"No!" Hinata whimpered. "No...I never wanted to see Konoha again."

"Well, tough luck kid." Tsunade muttered.

"I hate this place. Go to hell." Hinata shut her eyes tightly, her brow furrowing.

"At least they liked you enough to bring you to where you could be healed." Tsunade tried to offer a sensible pathway.

"I would have rather died defending Itachi-sensei then return to the hell-hole."

Tsunade, realizing she would not crack the young girl this way, stood up and walked towards the door. If she didn't find a way to save Konoha's prodical daughter, she would surely...

"Hinata. Get some rest. You will be interrogated soon."

"I will not speak." the girl stubbornly replied, rolling onto her side, pain filling her muscles.

"Whether you speak or not is none of my concern. If you do not answer our questions...you will be excuted."

There was a silence and Tsunade walked out of the room, leaving Hinata alone in the dark.

----------------------

TenTen sipped her tea quietly. Her eyes strayed towards Lee and Neji who were sitting on the bench in silence. She had made them all tea and Lee half-heartedly accepted it and Neji didn't touch it at all. As the only girl on her team, she had forced them out of the hospital, seeing that Hinata wouldn't speak to any of them.

Sasuke and Hanabi were found in separate places, worn out and silent. They would have to be questioned also, much to the displeasure of Kakashi and the Hyuuga household. Suspicions mounted; qestions arose.

Worry passed through TenTen's mind and she sighed, dejectedly. She was so tired. The return of Hinata had caused an uproar not only in the Hyuuga household, but in the whole village. Rumors that she had tried to kill her saviors had surfaced and every day, Neji had to constantly correct them and lash out when anyone questioned him. After all, he had to keep up the Hyuuga name.

TenTen looked down. She knew what a strain this was putting on Neji and the Main and Branch houses. Things were boiling and the silence in that house was cold enough to make her shiver everytime she went near it nowadays.

"NEJI-SAN!"

The unusually quiet group looked up in surprise to see Sakura and Ino charging at them, full speed. They skidded to a halt, breathless.

"What?" Neji asked, tiredly.

"Hinata's going back to your house. She was released from the hospital and she's going to see Hyuuga-sama before she goes into questioning." Sakura managed to wheeze out as she gasped for air.

Lee gave her Neji's untouched tea and she took it gratefully, giving a smile to him. TenTen poured the last bit of tea out from the thermos for Ino who was gasping in the same manner as Sakura.

Neji looked disturbed.

"I need to leave." he said, abruptly, before shooting off into the trees above.

Their eyes followed him until he was out of sight. Lee sighed.

"Poor Neji..." TenTen sighed and offered the two girls a seat on the vacent bench. Lee nodded.

Sure, Lee was slightly jealous that he couldn't have gone and saved Hinata, but on the one hand, he was glad he didn't have to witness Hinata being hurt. He would have probably caused more damage, or even killed her.

"I'm...amazed." Ino managed to say, before finishing her tea.

The others looked at her.

"Why do you say that?" TenTen asked.

Ino was silent, as if trying to see if her words made any sense.

"When Hinata left, everyone was in a uproar. And now, everyone is in an uproar again because she returned. All of the guys are worried about her, even Choji and Shikamaru..." Ino faded off into silence.

"The only reason is that it's because she did something so out of character that basically the whole town was shocked." TenTen said gently as she drained her cup.

"But she's still Hinata underneath, right?" Sakura questioned darkly.

"In a way, she's lucky." Ino grinned.

"Why?"

"She has such a way with guys..."

------------------------------------------------------

Reviews would be nice!


	14. Cruelty

SweetStealer: Wow, I've gone pretty far...

Notes:// I'll be relasing during the week so keep watching for the chapters!

---------------------------

**CHAPTER 13**

Neji couldn't help but feel put out. Kiba and Shino had beat him to seeing Hinata for the first time in days. As he looked her over, for the first time in his life, Hinata made him feel...afraid.

She was dangerously pale and looked so fragile...as if she would break if he, or anyone else, touched her. Her white dress hung limp around her figure, but was still fitting. Neji noticed the lack of the formal kimono or yukata. Just a plain white dress that was a little above the knee, with a red ribbon under her bust.

'So her color is red now...' he thought as he approached her.

Hinata turned to him, their eyes fully meeting for the first time in ages. He realized how cold and empty they looked, so unliked the fullness of warmth she had always shown them before.

Kiba and Shino also turned. They were standing outside the Hyuuga household, feeling uncomfortable. Kiba was in a loose blue shirt with dark blue cargo pants. His jacket was tied carelessly around his waist and Akamaru was at his feet.

Neji watched as Kiba reached out to touch Hinata's bandaged arm but drew back and sighed.

'He must feel guilter then me.' Neji thought, eyeing the physical damage Kiba and Akamaru had done.

Shino was in his white jacket and looked about the same. Same sunglasses, same hair, same pants, same jacket...same mystery. Neji wondered whether the blue butterfly sitting ontop of Hinata's head was due to him.

"Nii-san." Hinata greeted quietly, her voice as empty as her eyes.

"Hinata-sama." Neji stopped in front of them.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Neji did something totally out of character for him.

He hugged Hinata.

Hinata didn't make any move to get out of his way as he drew her into a tight embrace. She was still so small compared to him...so fragil and weak.

Neji felt tears. He never cried. He never showed any emotion towards her before, and he wondered whether it was guilt or relief that brought them on. He decided it was both.

Now, salty liquid drops of pain leaked out of his eyes as he managed to say,

"I'm sorry. Forgive me...for everything..."

Hinata gently put her arms around him and looked at her exahusted cousin's back. He was gripping her tightly, as if he didn't want to let her go. For the first time in a long time, she smiled gently, as if to understand...it was still a dark, hesitant smile, but it was enough to raise his heart a fraction of a milimeter.

Kiba went around and hesitantly put his arms around his former teammate also. Unlike Neji, Kiba burst into tears and sobbed full out. He had lost so much sleep knowing he was the cause for a lot of the blood loss. He had been so worried...so insanely worried over her. She was, after all,...like his little sister.

Hinata just stood there, outside her former home, with two great and powerful shinobi crying on her. Shino just stood there. He had never been one to show emotion and he wasn't about to now. He just went over, squeezed Hinata's hand and wouldn't let go.

"Hiashi-sama will see you now." a sharp voice cut through their reunion like ice.

They all looked up. A man from the Main house was there to greet them, his eyes mysterious. The white was tinted with flecks of gold. He bowed low and motioned for them to follow him. Hinata gazed at him and the man's eyes flashed.

Kiba and Shino looked at each other.

"We'll wait out here." Shino offered quietly. Hinata was amazed at how deep his voice had gotten.

She nodded and entered into the familiar home. The servent walked at an infuriating slow pace with Hinata and Neji trailing behind him. The house was a silent and as cold as she remembered it.

So cold...

Hinata watched as a passing maid gasped, and dropped the stack of small boxes she was holding, and then looked down. She knelt down to pick up the boxes only to find that Hinata was in front of her, the boxes neatly stacked up in her arms. She handed them back without so much as a word.

"Hinata-sama..." the nurse bowed again.

They continued down the long corridors that led to her father's private office. Light footfalls were heard coming down the hall way. Hinata and Neji activated their Byakugan only to find-

"Nee-chan?"

Hanabi had thrown herself onto Hinata and cried into her dress. Everyone seemed to cry when they saw her. To Hinata, whose heart was still cold, it was almost annoying and disgusting, but she allowed her sister a hug. She had somewhat missed her.

"Hanabi..." Hinata murmured.

Even though they had been separated for two years, it felt more like 50 to the reuniting sisters.

"Father is expecting you." Hanabi rubbed her eyes and she stepped back.

"I hear you're going into questioning." Hinata smiled gently and took her sister's hand.

Hanabi nodded seriously and Hinata gave a laugh. Hanabi hesitantly smiled. It was a rather odd reunion for her. But she knew something was off...Hinata had changed.

Her laugh had been empty.

"Hurry up." the servent snapped and Neji gently tugged on his cousins' arms.

Upon arriving at the door, Hinata didn't need to knock. Her father could already see her through the door, his Byakugan activated. Hinata didn't need at genius to figure that out. She opened the door.

"I'm here," she whispered, hands clasped together and eyes staring straight ahead.

Hinata watched as Hiashi went around to face her. He had been standing at the window, his features weathered and aged as time worked furiously against his body. His rough hands were cracked with scars and withered with age. His face had deep lines of worry and pain.

Her eyes widened in surprise, her hands twitching as her old habit of bringing her hands to her mouth surfaced. She expected him to glare, to hiss, to taunt her. She expected him to shout, to disown her, to drive her out. She expected anything but this.

Oh how _old_ he looked!

A heavy silence filled the chamber as Hiashi, head bent, turned to face a ghost from his haunted past. His white eyes, dark rimmed from insomnia, and slightly bloodshot from worry, gazed on at the beauty before him. She looked like her mother, and it pained him to remember even more cracked faces.

They continued to stare.

_How long have I been waiting?_

"Are you ready to accept the concequences of your actions?" he asked her, his voice breaking.

"I am." she murmured, eyes closing.

He rushed at her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata shut her eyes and waited for the hardness of the familiar Juuken she was prepared to defend herself against. But the Juuken never hit. Instead, warm arms envloped her and her father latched onto his daughter's body and cried.

Hinata relaxed, her body loosening up against an action she had so desperately wanted as a child. But time works in various ways. Hiashi was old, and Hinata was breaking. She could feel the shell that Itachi had worked so hard to put up, crack straight down the middle and fall to shattered pieces.

"I will never forgive myself-"

Hinata couldn't move as her father's words penetrated her heart. In truth, she **hadn't** missed him...so how had he missed her? After everything she went through?

She bit her lip.

Fate was being nasty to her.

Hiashi sighed and you could pratically feel unhappiness and regret seeping off of him.

"Some father I am..." he muttered, as he let of of Hinata and slumped into his brown leather chair, worn with age like its owner.

Hinata stood very still, confused as to what happened. Hiashi watched her with tired and defeated eyes. Hinata stared back. He realized, that she looked so empty... it was the same expression that she had when her mother had died.

_Itachi said there was no going back._

"You look so much like her..." he whispered.

Hinata bit back tears of regret and fear. Her mother had not been mentioned in over nine years. This wasn't right. Guilt worked under her skin...pieces of her old life came floating back, putting themselves into her empty heart like a puzzle, filling the space where Itachi's shell had once been.

_He said I would die._

The girl supressed a sob and resisted the urge to hug her father as he put his head in his hands and get that tired look that fathers get. It clawed at her heart, pushing away all of Itachi's teachings and warnings about the fragilness of the ever emotional heart.

_But he was wrong._

"Hinata. You will be interrogated tomorrow. You will be staying with us until then." Hiashi said, quietly, turning to face the window where light streamed in.

The reply caught in Hinata's throat and she murmured the words that could destroy all that she ever believed and worked for.

_I went back._

"H-hai, Otou-san."

_So why am I still alive?_

Outside, the servant stiffened, narrowed his golden eyes and shot off when the younger Hyuuga and her elder cousin vanished from sight. The servant slipped out through the back gate and into the awaiting forest.

This was news worth spilling to Itachi.

Afterall, Sasori need to know Hinata's situation before any of them could form a plan.

----------------

Reviews would be wonderful.


	15. Plans

**SweetStealer**: So, I've added TWO chapters.

I was feeling bold.

Anyway, I'd love to say thank you to all those who have reviewed this far! You guys are the best! Here's Chapter 14 of Angel of Mine. There is a small take off from one of the better chapters of Alleviation in this chapter, so if you want to read the better one, go read Chapter 6 of the Alleviation.

Love.

-------------------

**Chapter 14**

Hinata woke up with a cry and cold sweat ran down her back. She pulled the blankets around her tighter and drew her legs in. She still felt half asleep and her eyes were half way closed.

Night was beginning to wane and the sun's first early morning rays trickled in through her familiar bedroom and closed windows, waking her even more. It had been so long since she had slept in the old satin sheets. Her back had been used to trees or the warmness of Itachi or Sasori, whose arms she would use as pillows. Deidara would have always-

"No." Hinata whispered coldly to herself.

She sat up and rubbed sleep from her eyes. The silence of the room made her uneasy. She knew she would have to let the Akatsuki go. But a deep, dark part of her would not break its hold. Hinata, with a little worry, realized that she knew too much. She had already seen too many plans.

'Leader-sama will murder me.' she thought hesitantly, looking at the silver ring on her finger that had once belonged to Itachi.

She sat in silence, watching the sun creep into her room, clawing at the floor, the furniture and finally at her own body.

'Too bright...' Hinata thought as she stretched and made to get up, pushing all thoughts of murder aside.

Forcing sleep away, she stood up, and didn't even to bother changing.

'No one should be up..' she thought.

She stopped, activated her Byakugan and sat perfectly still. Her father was asleep or meditating, she couldn't tell. By his breathing rhythm, she guess he had just fallen asleep in an upright position. Hanabi was breathing raggedly, her arms curled up into her chest. Neji was drowsing, with insence burning lazily in his room. She watched his movements and decided it was all clear.

Hinata got up, felt the grain of her wooden paper doors and silently slid it open. She had learned to grease the door well so it didn't make a loud noise when she opened it.

With her heart pounding, she took off in the direction of the gardens. She knew Tsunade had put a guard on her, but she didn't know who. It was probably an ANBU disguised as a servant, so she would have to be careful. She didn't want to risk running away and giving away her plan.

As she approached her favorite hiding place, she collapsed on the wet ground and laid her head on the old tire swing where she had first met Itachi. She found herself wishing all over again.

_Please forgive me._

----------------------------------

Gaara immediatly sensed Hinata leave her room. Though not many of them knew it, he had been requested by Tsunade to look after Hinata and report all of her doings to her. For what reason _**Gaara**_ was put in charge, the world may never know.

Now, he was looking up, trying to see or hear where she was headed. The steps were quick and almost silent, but all the same he heard them. He saw her shadow dart from her room and into the darkness of the halls.

He watched the sunlight chase her.

'It's as if she's running away from the light.' he thought, jumping down from the roof and following her at a good clip.

He heard the lazy creak of the tire swing and saw her sitting on it, her eyes unfocused and her body unalert. He narrowed his eyes, just in case.

'A waste of my time.' he thought, indifferently.

He watched her a while, taking in the red robin on her shoulder, bobbing about on her shoulder. Hinata was turning in lazy circles, stroking the bird's chest, her hands gliding over the smooth feathers.

"Hyuuga." he said quietly.

Hinata looked up at this and the robin flew away, startled. Her eyes were dilated and she gripped the rope tighter. Her left arm was still bandaged tightly, but she would fight if she had to.

"What are you doing here?" she asked softly, her fingers picking the petals off of a stray clover flower, destroying the petals one by one.

Gaara didn't answer. He didn't need to. Hinata, with a little surprise, already figured out that Gaara was her guard.

"Shouldn't you be back watching over your people?" she asked, the lack of curiousity and care in her voice made plain by her indifferent tone.

"No." was the short, sharp answer she received from the Kazekage.

_He's as monotone as Itachi._

There was a silence as they surveyed each other. Gaara's cold, aquamarine eyes analyzed the girl before him. He could see that her will had a deep crack in it. He compared her to when they had last met. She had been so animated...so full of life. This girl was sinking back into submission.

"Why?" Gaara finally asked, causing Hinata to shift, her pale legs hanging haphazardly off of the swing.

"Why, what?" she whispered, gazing at the trees behind the man who rigidly stood before her.

"Why did you choose them?"

Gaara, who rarely spoke, found himself voicing these questions to a girl who had so boldly kissed him a few weeks past. Hinata let her eyes wander from his face to the stem of the now demolished flower she had been holding. Gaara waited patiently.

"I'm sure you know...everyone has a place that seems to be empty. After a time...it can be filled by a person, thing...I didn't get that. I started to hurt." Hinata whispered, putting her hands over her heart.

Gaara's eyes widened and his look softened. He remembered that feeling. Those feelings of intense lonliness, the hoplessness of the situation known as life, the cruelty of people who had no idea...absolutely no idea that he was hurting...

Hinata raised her eyes and looked at him. Her smile was soft and empty, but she watched the sunrise as well. The red bird fluttered back onto her shoulder and she looked at it and then at the sunrise. Her empty eyes seemed to spark as the sun rose red.

She gave a heavy sigh and the bird hopped off her shoulder and flew back into the trees, watching them from a distance.

Both the bird and the sun were bright red. However, Gaara found the girl next to him more interesting then either of them.

-----------------

Deidara motioined to Sasori as his bird came back. The tiny clay robin dropped as small scroll that he spit up from his body and Sasori opened it carefully. He skimmed it, nodded and stalked off to find Kisame and Itachi. Deidara looked around and took that scroll.

"Where is she?"

Deidara gave a startled yelp and fell backwards. He groaned, and looked up to see the shadowed faces of two tall men, one with a black and orange mask and the other with Venus fly trap claws surrounding a black and white face, with cold golden eyes peering through his claws.

Tobi and Zetsu.

"Damn you, yeah." Deidara cursed, rubbing his head.

"Where is the...girl?" Zetsu repeated, looking around, the awkwardness of actually acknowledging the female shadow of Itachi.

See, if any of them used her actual name, unless it was her beloved nickname, Angel, they knew they would understand her to be one of them. No, Hinata would never really fit in. She wasn't much of a killer, as said girl had only killed three times in her stay with the Akatsuki.

Hinata was a fighter. And a hinderance

She was, without a doubt, a hinderance, but Itachi had stubbornly refused to send her away, kill her or hand her over to Zetsu who had always wanted to have a taste of her tender flesh. No, he had overlooked that aspect, and continued to train her with a passion that never surfaced anywhere else.

"She's at her house. They are interrogating her this morning in a cell underground." Sasori said, his monotone voice slipping through the leaves and to Itachi's awaiting ears, as said man was standing behind them, staring impassivly into nothing.

"Well, shall we go get her?" Kisame asked, looking at Itachi who swept a branch aside and looked at his fellow Akatsuki members.

He was not fond of them. He would not die for them. He knew the stakes. He knew the rules. Human attachment, or any companionship was forbidden. Though Leader-sama had recognized Hinata as a member, the others flat out refused to see her as anything but a girl, a liability, and an angel in Hell.

"Not yet." Itachi hissed, watching the sun hide behind the clouds.

He cast a look towards Sasori. Hinata had sometimes favored Sasori over himself. The puppet frowned disapprovingly, and looked to his partner, the explosive blonde. Clay stuck to his fingers like glue. The stormy blue eyes were furious and impatient, but Sasori glared and the blonde stilled.

"Why do we have to keep her with us, yeah?" Deidara whined.

Sasori raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"I thought you were fond of her." he stated simply, his eyes shutting as he began to meditate.

Deidara began to squirm and his eyebrows creased.

"I AM NOT, YEAH." he replied hotly.

Kisame snickered and Tobi said quietly,

"You didn't object to picking her up in Suna."

Deidara, his face a nice fire-engine red, retorted with as much anger as he could muster,

"I DON'T LIKE HER, YEAH."

Sighing, Itachi watched as Kisame walked away to anothe part of the clearing to check up on Hidan and Kakuzu who seemed to be quite amused at the sight of Hidan's blood.

Silently he stood up and began to walk away, thinking.

--------------------

Indifferently, Itachi turned towards the sun rising behind Konoha. Hinata had gotten the message loud an clear. He was thankful that Gaara was not suspicious and that Hinata had found a way to communiate without the sand tamer watching.

Thinking back to when he had first ripped the seams that held her captive in Konoha, he could remember her hesitant face, and her adoring eyes. She learned quickly, and fought for her survival. When she had been tried to be used as a vessal for a poison Orochimaru was brewing, she overcame it in a way, and as an added 'bonus' the Sharingan was delivered to her.

_Blessed Angel._

'She has no idea how lucky she is.' Itachi thought, watching a black raven wheel over his head. Walking away from his group, he glanced backwards out of the corner of his crimson eyes. He sighed, sensing a familiar chakra presence and turned around, bowing in respect when he completed his 360.

"Leader-sama." he said quietly.

"Itachi." the Leader hissed, his body only a shadow of a madman, flickering as his jutsu gave off a ghost.

The silence was so thick that you could probably cut it with Kisame's Samehada. Itachi, expressionless, walked closer and awaited his orders. Or critisim. Whichever came first.

"You disappoint me." the Leader taunted, his eyes glaring through someone who was once a very promising assassin.

Apparently it was the critisim.

"In which ways?" Itachi asked, assuming there was more then one.

"This girl!" the Leader snarled, eyes wide with anger.

Itachi remained silent. Instinctivly, he put up a guard when he heard the tree branches rustling above him.

_Someone else is here._

He watched and 'listened'. However, whatever was said to Itachi was not heard by the boy murderer. Itachi had stopped 'listening' a long time ago. He was giving up. He knew it would come to this eventually.

"You need to let her go." the Leader said finally, knowing he would not get anywhere by insulting Itachi.

The red-eyed man looked up, gazing into the distance.

The swish of a cloak.

The tremble of a tree branch.

The quiet breaths.

_Someone is watching._

The Leader must have heard it also, because he began to disappear. Itachi, hearing the slight movements, perked up, watching his boss fade into nothing.

"Remember Itachi. If she does not come back, I will kill her." the Leader glared and finally vanished.

Itachi froze, and looked up.

Time was running out.

--------------------------

Hatake Kakashi narrowed his eyes and lay a shaking hand on his dog, who whined, attempting to comfort his distressed master. He dashed through the trees, disturbed to the highest degree at what he had witnessed in the clearing.

Eight.

There were eight.

Kakashi, trembling, realized what kind of foolish determination had made him go there. He was lucky enough to escape with his life, let alone all of his limbs and a lack of battle.

It had been disturbing indeed.

He began to recall how many there were, and the scenes he had witnessed.

_Eight deadly assassins, right on Konoha's doorstep._

--------------------------

A man, silver haired, impaled his body on a katana, laughing as the blood rushed from his body. A whymsical grin was plastered to his pale face as he turned to face his partner, who was shaking his head in shame. The partner was crouched over, his face covered by a black cloth. His sharp eyes roamed the landscape, his breathing erratic.

"You're wasting my time." he hissed at the silver haired man.

"Jashin-sama will help us make the kill." the man argued reasonably.

Kakashi retained a sharp breath that was trying to escape his dry throat. His eyes went wide and even Pakkun looked uneasy and he scratched his ear.

_Hidan. The Reaper._

_Kakuzu. The Rag-Doll._

Kakashi turned his gaze towards another pair, one consisting of a hyperactive, almost hysterical member, and his partner, the quiet, pensive, cannible.

A split personality argued and whined with its halves, wanting to kill, but trying to stay patient. Venus fly trap claws engulfed the cannibal, who was feasting on the bloody flesh of a young, unfortunate rabbit. He was snapping at his partner, who was laughing.

Black, spiky hair stuck up behind a black and orange mask. The illusional mask was quite the confusing puzzle, but Kakashi analyzed the rest of the boy before trying to put a face to the body. The mannerisms were familiar, hyper, boastful and optimistic. It was a reminiscence of Uchiha Obito, perhaps?

Kakshi jolted, and Pakkun finally took off to find a replacement dog. There was no way he would stick around to witness this.

'Stupid dog.' Kakashi thought, smiling slightly, though feeling a little put out that his own nin-dog would abandon him in such a dire situation.

The grin slid off as he thought of the names.

_Tobi the Child._

_Zetsu the Cannibal._

As Kakashi analyzed the rest, he steadily climbed higher in the trees, so as to give himself the best coverage as possible. His nerves were shot and his breathing was harsh and raspy. He gave a jolt when he felt something prickle on his hand.

He looked down and saw a small green caterpillar crawling up his hand. He breathed and gently let the tiny insect inch its way off his hand and onto the bark of the tree. He jumped, once again, startled by a loud noise from below.

"Sasori-danna, yeah! Let's go, let's go! Do we need to keep her?" an explosive blonde hissed into his red-haired danna's ear.

The crimson haired man sighed, and rolled onto his stomach and ignored his partner. Pouting, and very disappointed, the blonde haired boy took out a piece of clay and began to feed it into his palms. Kakashi shivered with disgust, but stayed quiet as he racked his brains trying to remember names.

_Sasori. The Master Puppetteer._

_Deidara. The Explosionist._

And lastly...Kakashi's targets. His mind played the last battle he had with Itachi. It had left him weak and rendered useless for a few days.

'Mangekyo Sharingan.' he thought, surveying Itachi with displeasure.

He noticed, the subtle form of the Leader, who gliched ever now and then. He turned his weary gaze to the shark man who was whistling a little ways away. The Samehada was growing restless, and Kakashi could see its bandages were becoming very strained.

Itachi looked up. Kakashi, startled, withdrew into the leaves, wondering what on earth to do now. He was surrounded by Akatsuki agents from all sides and was extreamly outnumbered.

_Kisame. The Shark._

_Itachi. The Madman._

"Kakashi. Let's go."

The Jounin turned to find a returned, but terrified, Pakkun, who nodded and the two of them fled through the trees.

----

Photos hung in simple black frames and posed elegantly for the post-Hyuuga heiress as she waited patiently for the ANBU to take her away for questioning. She wasn't scared. She still had little need for the emotion of fear. If the Akatsuki had kept all of her traits, and thrown away one, it would have been the irritating emotion of fear.

Who needs fear?

It holds you back. It drags you down. It is a liability.

Hinata watched the faces of her ancestors and her family, wishing she could erase the eager smiles from the children and place them on the cold, unforgiving faces of her father and even sterner elders. She looked away, seeing her reflection in the glass.

Her white gaze slid to the floor, analyzing her situation. She was still fiercely loyal to the Akatsuki, and would remain that way. Hinata knew that the ANBU would do everything to weasel the truth about the Akatsuki. She would do anything but give away their secrets.

_Angel._

The wooden chair she was sitting in was hard and unforgiving, and she began to figit, anxiously awaiting the agents in red and white masks.

She looked back at the pictures, her gaze falling on one in particular. She stifled a laugh when her eyes came to rest on if fully and she got up to take a closer look at it.

The Uchiha clan.

Uchiha Fugaku, the proud, yet commading line of his mouth made Hinata shiver, even to this day.

Uchiha Motoko, her gentle smile and warm eyes made Hinata wonder how this kind woman could have ever married a man like Fugaku, arranged marriage or not.

Uchiha Sasuke, whose mouth was half open and the red of strawberries staining his face.

And lastly, Uchiha Itachi, who cold distant eyes seemed to be looking past the camera, bored by the trival family picture.

She smiled, but the dry grin slide off of her face as she turned to the picture that hung innocently next to it.

Hyuuga Hiashi, whose glare was empty, save the burden of Clan duties and meetings showing through.

Hyuuga Himoko, her diamond shaped face was filled with love and care that Hinata so colorfully remembered, with pain.

Hyuuga Hinata, the reflection of a ghost of a girl who no longer existed in her body, but lived among demons and ghosts. And she liked it.

Hyuuga Hanabi, the girl was about three, squirming on the ground, the hem of her yukata stained with mud.

Now, Hinata frowned and reached up to trace her mother's face.

_I miss her._

"Hyuuga Hinata."

The girl turned around, and sighed.

"Let's go."

No less then four ANBU agents would accompany her to the dark questioning cells below the earth. She met the aquamarine gaze of Gaara, who nodded at her, and disappeared in a whisp of sand. He had been perched on the adjacent rooftop, watching her every move with careful analysis.

Hinata sighed as the last grain of sand disappeared, and turned back.

"Hai, I'm coming."

----

Deidara wants reviews.

And Gaara want's a cookie.


	16. Falling

SweetStealer: Yeah, I'm almost done. Chillax.

_And the darkness with devour thee, with gnashing fangs and razor claws to darg thee into Hell._

--------------

Chapter 15

The darkness of the metal box Hinata was entrapped in did nothing to affect her what-so-ever. The ANBU had ditched her in the darkness, and she was forced to activated her Byakugan just to stumble to the metal chair in the middle of the room.

The chamber reeked of blood, tears and sadness. Overcome with a strange emotion, the creamy-eyed girl placed a small, soft hand on the stained wall, and pressed her ear against it.

Agonized screams of tormented prisoners reached her ears, and she closed her anxiety ridden eyes. If there was one thing Hinata had held onto for two years, it was empathy.

The door slammed open and Tsunade approached her, along with Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and her dear old teacher, Kurenai. Hinata noted how pale and shaken Kakashi looked.

"What troubles you, Hatake Kakashi?" she questioned, her soft voice hinting curiousity and the mockery of scorn.

"You've become very accute, Hinata." Kakashi laughed, a hesitant grin falling into place.

Hinata merely stared back in quiet revelation that maybe he had seen them. _Them._ The red dawn rising.

_The Akatsuki._

"Hinata-chan," Kurenai began, her voice breaking into Hinata's thoughts like needles in the flesh. "please undersand, you need to tell us all you know about the Akatsuki."

The fifteen year old girl sighed and stared at her old mentor. She smiled, but they kept their guard up. After all, Itachi had been her former teacher. Anything could happen.

"And why should I tell you?" she sighed, tiredly.

"We only want to help." Asuma muttered from his corner, watching her with sharp eyes, his cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

Smoke curled about the room, lacing the disgusting room with a nauseating smell of cigarette smoke. Hinata, unfazed, looked at her mentors and whispered,

"You can't help me anymore, sensei."

Gai, who had stayed silent, murmured to himself,

"The springtime has left you, Hinata."

"Do you think I care?" she hissed abrubtly, a sudden monsterous emotion of hate clawing at her soul.

"You should, your life's on the line." Tsunade said, calmly, sipping at the sake cup she lazily held in her hands.

"I would die for them." Hinata scowled, her white eyes bleeding into the red of the Sharingan.

"But why die for someone who wouldn't die for you?" Kurenai tried to reason with her former pupil.

Hinata replied tonelessly,

"I love them."

The silence was broken by the shifting of Asuma and the clenching of Gai's fists. Kakashi stayed impassive, while Kurenari and Tsunade began to scrutinize the girl with hawk-like stares.

"You...love...these creatures?" Asuma asked, confused.

"Hai."

"But why?" Gai wonder aloud, his hands slowly uncurling into limp fingers and tired palms.

"They gave me a life. They cared for me. I learned more there in two years then anything I had ever learned here." Hinata whispered.

"You learned to kill." Tsunade corrected.

"Hai, but I learned other things, too." the young girl reasoned, her eyes roaming the faces of her sensei.

"They experiment on you, betrayed you...hurt you. So...why?" Kakashi asked, again.

"You would not understand."

The questioning went on for hours, with Hinata avoiding them, answering vaguely, her indifferent stare aggravating Tsunade and confusing the rest. Finally, the Godaime stood up.

"Take her to my office. And call her family."

Hinata, surprised, looked up.

"What for?"

Tsunade made for the door, and her lily white hands rested on the cold metal knob as she turned back around to face her charge.

"For your execution."

-----

White light filled the Godaime's office, making the room seem heavenly and serene. Silently, the ANBU placed the fifteen year old girl in the center of the room. She waited patiently and noted that she had yet to be chained down or restrained. The ANBU took their places in the corners of the room with one man in between them.

Hesitantly, the Hyuugas began to file in. Hiashi, Neji, Hanabi and the elders took their seats on the rows of metal chairs that had so neatly been placed for them. Neji, his eyes gazing into Hinata's, never left her face. She gave a weak smile to her sister who was clutching Neji's hand in terror and fear.

Finally, Tsunade walked in. She took her place solomnly at her desk and stared Hinata down. Folding her hands together, she said clearly,

"Hinata Hyuuga, do you wish to remain a part of the Akatsuki or rejoin your family?"

The girl thought, and wished, and prayed all in the mere five seconds it took her to respond simply,

"The Akatsuki are my family."

-------------------

Kiba and Shino took their places on the steps of the Hokage's mansion. Kiba sighed, folded his arms and laid his head down to rest. Shino was unusually anxious, with his little black bugs crawling down his arms and the occasional one crossing his face.

_Sigh._

TenTen, Ino and Sakura sat on the bench outside of Ino's garden, quietly discussing the present problem and what might happen. They leaned on each other for support and worry was written all of their brows.

_Please..._

Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee were busy sharing a huge bag of potato chips which was devoured in mere minutes. Lee, who was doing one armed push-ups, stared at the grass, hoping and praying things would go well. Shikamaru and Choji remained silent.

_Let her make..._

Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on top of the statues of the Third and the Fourth. Gaara stood behind them, his eyes gazing into the distance, trying to see what was happening in the Hokage mansion. Sasuke, restless, folded his arms and slid back down. Naruto, more hyper and anxious then usual, began to talk like the world was coming to an end.

_The right decision._

----

Tsunade's auburn eyes flashed and the 'clink' of two kunai being drawn out echoed across the room. Hinata blinked as her gaze connected with her father who would not save her. No, not now...not ever. Hiashi made to get up, but an ANBU agent held him back. Hanabi, fearful, turned away as Hinata looked straight at her baby sister.

Neji was faster. He shot up, and flickered to Hinata's side, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Don't you touch her." he hissed, shuriken poised and ready between his pale fingers.

There was a silence, as dust fell between the rays of the sun. Neji stood protectively in front of his younger cousin. The girl stared. Here was her cousin...the very same who had tried to annihilate her during the Chuunin Exams...the very same who had given her the cold shoulder ever since they were young...

What had changed when she was gone?

Hinata whispered dryly,

"You would kill for me, Nii-san?"

Ther quiet stilled as Neji turned slightly and gave the softest smile that would make even Ten-Ten's heart ache. He said with a serene, almost tender voice,

"Hai."

Hinata, her moon colored eyes brimming with shining tears, smiled back, and murmured compassionatly,

"Arigato, Nii-san."

She placed her hands on Neji's back when he turned back around, chakra engulfing her pale palms. Neji's eyes went wide, and he gently fell to the floor as Hinata refused his help in her own quiet way. His weapons fell to the floor, defeated. At this, Hiashi pushed the ANBU aside and stood erect.

Hinata met his gaze once more and he let out the deep breath he had been holding. His daughter, who had looked so torn and distressed, stared at him with comforting...almost _knowing _eyes. The same knowing Hyuuga eyes that her mother had possessed.

Slowly, the girl began to walk backwards towards the the window. Hiashi felt the distance between himself and his daughter grow with ever step she took. Once again, he did not break the chains that held them together, she did.

"NO! Hinata!" Tsunade commanded, but it was too late.

Hinata turned, ran, and crashed her body through the window, the glass breaking into a million shards. Tsunade, quick to react, threw her kunai, with Hinata's body as the mark.

The girl saw them coming, but did not react. Tsunade never misses.

Her body arched gracefully as it was impaled by the kunai. Blood mixed with glass, and Hinata began to fall to the earth.

Hiashi let out an inhuman cry of fury and his fists grasped Tsunade's desk in horror, and the Clan head fell to the floor in grief. Hanabi left her father to sprint to the window, and clenched the broken glass, mixing her blood with her sister's.

"Nee-chan!" she shrieked, watching Hinata fall, her own snowy eyes filled with liquid pain.

Neji, lifting his weakened body off of the Hokage's floor, dragged himself to the window ledge, and lifted himself up. His eyes filled with sorrow and regret, and he whispered,

"Hinata-sama..."

Destiny was cruel.

Silently, the ANBU fled out the window. They would make sure it ended swiftly. They took out their own assortment of weapons, ready to finish her off.

Tsunade clenched her fists, Neji pulled Hanabi away from the window and cover her eyes, while shutting his own, salty tears of hate running down his face.

Some things were not meant to be seen, even by the Byakugan.

There was the sound of tearing flesh, the quiet sighs, and the deep breaths of the ANBU agents. Hiashi, crippled with horror, could only watch from the ground, and see Hinata's body ebb blood and breath.

Love was watching someone die.

--------------------

Peace


	17. Leaving

Sweets: I would just LOVE to thank all of the awesome reviewers! You guys are completely supportive. I'm finishing Alleviation and Summer Chaos, so look out for those too!

How amazing.

--------

Chapter 16

Glass sprinkled down on Kiba and Shino like snow, while blood began to speckle their faces like red paint drops falling from the sky. Shino looked up, gasped, and extended his arms in a panic as a shadow descended upon them. Kiba gave a shout, dashed foreward, and the two caught the body of their fallen commrade.

The ANBU fled from their sight.

Sasuke was the first to see them scatter like birds and he shot up, sending rock pieces of the Fourth onto the tourists below. Naruto scrambled up beside him, his eyes wide as he watched the faint outline of a body fall from the shattered Godaime window. Gaara's eyes widened a fraction but his features hardened into indifference.

_I knew she would never let go._

Gaara glanced down at his two comrades.

_I never really let go either._

"Let's...let's go." Sasuke muttered, his words broken.

Naruto began to tremble with rage and dispair as he saw the black birds flee from the broken foliage. Hot tears of hate rolled down his marked face and he began to run in the direction of the Hokage's palace, Sasuke hot on his heels. Gaara stood there, and vanished into thin air.

Far below them, Ino gave a start as the birds shrieked as they were disturbed by a falling soul. Sakura looked up sharply, her jade eyes glazed over in worry. TenTen narrowed her own chocolate orbs as an ANBU agent whisked past her, kicking up dust and leaves. She watched him leave, the black of his cloak disappearing in his footsteps.

Ino bit back a sob as she listened to the silence.

"Iie..." Sakura whispered.

They shot off the fence and towards the Hokage's mansion, praying.

Shikamaru watched as the three girls passed overhead, not noticing their own little group. Lee blinked when he caught TenTen's eye. Ino let out a sob and Shikamaru, concerned, sat up. Ino's tears graced his face as he watched them leave. Choji crumpled his potato chip bag and threw it away.

Lee, his face the mask of seriousness, stopped exercising and nodded to his companions.

"Let's go." Shikamaru whispered.

They followed the parade.

-----------------

The girls arrived a little after Naruto and Sasuke. Gaara was gone. The fox-boy was pale and his eyes horrified. Sasuke put on a mask of indifference and sighed in regret. Shikamaru skid to a halt, kicking up a dust cloud.

The group was unusually eerie and silent. Choji and Lee fell to the ground when they saw the sight, from shock and exahustion. TenTen knelt down next to Lee who glanced at her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

Sakura, frozen, placed her hands over the girl's chest and nodded to Ino who sat across from her. The two ignited their hands with bright green chakra. They were, medic nins after all.

_Finally._

Hinata gave a sigh and her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes lazily. Sakura gave an audible gasp as she watched crimson Uchiha eyes watch her from a broken Hyuuga body.

Hinata shifted her gaze to Sasuke, who could only stare back mutely. He was surprised to find her looking almost serene. He glanced away and she gave him a soft, yet teasing smile. She knew his secrets. He knew she knew. He was willing to let her go.

She turned to Naruto who pushed his way through so he was standing before her. He knelt down in front of her and he dug his nails into the dirt where he looked away.

"Hina-chan..." he whispered, his face closed with pain.

She reached up to place her palm on his forehead and whispered things to him that no one could understand or hear, but watched as Naruto's breathing slowed and he drew back, letting the earth fall from his hands.

She turned to Kiba and Shino. She beckoned Shino closer and he drew in. She began to pull down his collar, but stopped herself.

"It's part of your mystery, isn't it?" she murmured.

She turned to her long time friend. Kiba had tears of anxiety rolling down his face. She lifted her hand to his cheek where he grabbed it and held it there.

"Gomen, Kiba-kun." she gasped out as her body was racked with coughs.

Her eyes began to fade from red, to pink to white...finally settling on her long time color, a lavender white. She let exhaled deeply and shut her eyes.

"Arigato, Neji nii-san." she whispered, lifting her hand.

She was searching for her cousin who simply wasn't there. Her brow furrowed, but she never opened her eyes again. Her hand dropped and they watched her with baited breaths.

Without hesitation, Ino and Sakura ignited their hands once more, in attempts to revive the girl. Kiba grabbed Hinata's hands.

"Stay with me, Hinata!" he said, panic lacing the edges.

Naruto, his breathing once again ragged, widened his eyes. He bent down towards the girl, grasping her ankles, feeling how cold her body was.

"C'mon Hina-chan..." Naruto cried, biting his lip.

Sasuke turned away, his eyes full of regret. He'd have to find Itachi another way. His best chance of finding his brother was dead. Nevermind the girl...

Shikamaru touched Ino lightly on the shoulder, and Ino silently stood back, watching Sakura try and try to bring back the dead.

There was a crashing of branches as Neji dashed in, a whirlwind of green and yellowing leaves in his wake. His face was pale, with tears rushing down. He stopped and stared, bits of dust glowing metallic in the afternoon sun behind him.

Finally, he let out an anguished wail and held his head in his hands. TenTen rushed to him and cradled him on her shoulder. He shoved her aside and pushed Sakura out of the way. He grabbed Hinata's hands and brought them to his face.

"I'm here, Hinata. Stay with me. STAY WITH ME!" he cried, his words muffled as he collapsed in her neck.

Kiba gave a howl of fury and buried his face into the dead indigo locks of his friend.

Shino took off his sunglasses and began to cry.

And Gaara, ever watchful from the shadowed treetops of Konoha, turned his head in an overwhelming emotion of sorrow and vanished in a whisk of sand.

----------------

Ano, reviews are always welcome!


	18. Epilogue

Sweets: It's over! I'm going to throw a party! Who wants to come?!

...We're playing pin the tail on Deidara!

-------------------

Epilogue.

Rain drizzled down into a fine mist, the drops of water hailing down like ice. Hanabi shivered as she bit her lip and watched the blood run down her chin and into the ground. The air smelled like earth and the ground oozed with mud. Hanabi angrily shoved her black mary jane into the mud, covering all the scuff marks.

She stared at the polished black coffin with white paint decorating the top in an intricate design, as was custom for a Hyuuga, Main House or Branch. White rose petals slipped out of the cracks and Hanabi reached up to catch one.

Her white eyes turned to her father, whose own gaze was soft and pained. Next to him was Neji, whose empty eyes were so depressed that Hanabi felt her heart ache. She remembered that look; the look he had when Hinata was once missing. She wasn't missing anymore, though. She was dead.

Bitterly, Hanabi looked at Hinata's teammates. They were silent, and very...black. Kurenai was standing next to Asuma who took a long drag of his cigarette before putting an arm around her. Kiba looked dead, to put it bluntly, and Shino was stock still, his hands in his pockets.

Sighing, Hanabi let the flower petal go and watched it get pulled into the mud by the ever burdening rain. Hanabi let her eyes close and she felt tears working up from her throat. Why did Hinata have to die? Why was she left to be the new Hyuuga heiress? It wasn't fair.

"Nothing's ever fair." Neji whispered beside her, as if he knew what she was thinking.

She stared at him and he kept his eyes focused on the coffin. Hanabi knew he was right. Life wasn't fair. Never was, never will be.

The ceremony began.

-------

Neji was wishing.

He knew wishes never came true, but he wanted to try...even if it went against his weakened thoughts of destiny. At first, he had no idea on what to wish for, and he racked his mind all the time the priest droned on.

Then, it came to him.

_I want to see her...just once more._

He waited through the funeral ceremony, he waited through the condolences and sympathies, and through the whispers and stares. He waited until his family had left. He waited until Kiba and Shino walked off through the rain. He waited until Hiashi pulled his body off of Hinata's coffin, saying his last apologies and goodbyes. He waited until Hanabi dragged her feet home, her tears mixing with rain.

Finally.

He walked over to her black resting home, and touched the polished wood. Silently, he pushed open the lid and watched as it began to reveal Hinata's pale face. He sighed, and shoved the lid back further so her whole body was showing.

Rain dripped onto her face and he watched her for a while, not knowing what to say.

"It's me. Nii-san." he whispered.

Suddenly, much to his surprise, her whole body burst into white flames and he stepped back in shock. He ran back to her coffin and gripped the edges, not caring if it was white hot. He stared into the flames and his eyes went wide. Her face, once pale and smooth, was rough and woody.

Her body was too rigid to be a body...

Leaves were burning, the roses giving off a pleasant but strong scent. He saw, in her place, was a wooden puppet, hand crafted and beautifully made.

"Hinata-sama?"

A minute later, all that was left was ashes and a white piece of paper. Feeling quite disturbed and hesitant, he picked up the paper and began to read.

--------

Far away, in the darkness of a cave, Itachi waited in anticipation. Water dripped down, echoing in the shadows. Kisame was sitting with his fangs bared, and grinned at his partner with patient amusement. The Samehada was twitching, not having a battle in ages.

"Relax, Itachi." he laughed.

Itachi merely glared, his black eyes piercing Kisame into fear. The two looked up as there was a crack that echoed around the room. The rock in front of them began to roll away and a figure, dressed in the traditional Akatsuki garb walked in. A black cloak. Red clouds. The straw hat. A paper tag reading 'the Lady Angel'.

The shadows hissed in response and the darkness shivered under the footsteps of the new arrival. Itachi stirred and blinked impassively.

"Welcome home." Kisame smiled haughtily, got up from his sitting position and guided the weary figure in. "How was your trip?"

In response, the figure took off the hat and arrogantly shoved it into the shark demon's stomach, revealing pale skin and purple nails. Kisame growled in annoyance, but took the hat anyways. Itachi surveyed the person critically.

"Good." he whispered at last.

The person looked up.

White eyes flashed in the darkness, and followed Itachi as he moved towards the steps that would lead to the Akatsuki lair underground. Kisame shoved him aside and went first. Itachi, irritated, turned around to the figure who blinked.

"Well? Aren't you coming, Angel?"

----------

_Neji nii-san,_

_I knew you would come back. I knew you wouldn't forget me. Did you like my performance? I should get an award I was so amazing, right? _

_It's ok to laugh. _

_Gomen, for all the trouble I caused. I must have worried you a lot. Everything that I've done, every plan, every bit of blood...it was worth it. _

_I'm going now._

_It's ok. You can let go now. I'm happy again. I'm in a better place._

_I promise._

_Hinata._

_P.S. Arigato, Neji-nii._

-----------

**.Fin.**


End file.
